Turn Back Time
by CuteChibiChocoCloud
Summary: Cloud loses someone to an old foe at the fall of Hollow Bastion. What happens when there might be a chance to change what has passed? CloudXLeon
1. Chapter 1

Turn Back Time

by CuteChibiChocoCloud

_Disclaimer:- I don't own Kingdom Hearts in any way, shape or form - to my dismay._

_A/N: This fic will contain at least one male/male relationship, so if ya don't like it, take a hike. The idea for this only came to me recently, so it may be a while before it is updated. For now, I hope you like the intro to my story (even though it's rather short ^_^)_

_Pairing:- CloudXLeon…and possibly others in the future._

Chapter 1

Life, is where mortals are made to endure pain and suffering for the entertainment of higher beings.

That is what Cloud Strife thought as he sat cooped up in the small room in the Third District of Traverse Town. For what else was life? Wandering souls trapped within a vessel searching for the answer to the meaning of their existence?

If that was so, then he had found his meaning, his life. But he had lost him, the one reason that gave him a reason to live. Without him, he was as good as dead.

On top of that, he and his companion's home world of Hollow Bastion had been overthrown by the Heartless. The loss of his home was pale in comparison to the feeling of emptiness within his heart. It's easy enough to move on from one place to another, but you can't do the same with your soul mate.

Yes, his long-term lover was the one he had lost. They had a connection, an understanding of one another. No one else could comprehend the thoughts that went through both their minds. Their pasts were dark and jaded, filled with many battles and feuds where they had lost a part of themselves. When they were together however, that missing link was complete and they found solace between each other. None of that mattered though, not when his other half had fallen into darkness by no fault but his own.

His three companions, who all managed to escape the terror of Radiant Garden's take-over, tried to convince him that it wasn't his fault that his lover died. Especially Aerith, who claimed time and time again that there was nothing he could have done. Of course she was wrong, since he could have actually been there to save him.

For the past week, the blonde warrior had sat in the confines of the back room of one of the houses that remained untouched by the Heartless. All his thoughts replayed the events that happened at Hollow Bastion over and over again.

Maleficent, that damned witch, had intruded on the castle, bringing with her a small army of Heartless. He and his partner fought against the hordes of Heartless in an attempt to at least hold them back for a while. However a number of the fiends managed to slip past their defences and began spreading through the castle like the plague. Hardly anyone attacked by them lived to tell the tale, for they too fell to darkness, losing their hearts because of their weakness. Therefore, the number of the Heartless gradually multiplied until they could no longer be held off. Deciding to continue fighting, the two separated ways in order to cover more of the area. That was what Cloud regretted doing the most.

For when this happened, his brunet comrade ascended the castle while he remained in the lower levels for a while. Up in the castle chapel is where his love met his ultimate demise.

When Cloud arrived there, where the two had decided to meet up, he found his partner knelt on the stone floor before an old adversary, whom was thought to be long dead. Oh how wrong he had been.

The wounded man looked back with pain filled eyes, yet with a look of relief on his pale face on noticing his arrival. Before he could defend his wounded companion the silver haired demon fell him in one swift swoop. The blonde ran and held him, not caring about the freshly spilt blood that stained his attire, tears swelled up in angry rivulets. Beautiful chestnut hair matted with blood ran between his gloved fingers, steel-grey eyes closed over, never to be seen again. Laughter echoed through his soul, from the clearly humoured swordsman who towered above them. Because of that wretched man, his kindred spirit was gone forever. With a final kiss to the forehead of his love, Cloud drew his heavy sword and readied himself for a fight to the death. It seemed though that the silver haired one had different ideas.

"_Hah, not yet my dear Cloud. We shall fight another day, at another time. Until we next meet…_"

That was when he disappeared, vanished into thin air, leaving him with a heavy sorrow weighing him down. If only he had been there even five minutes earlier. Then he could have stopped the madness that ensued.

Fingers running over the cool metal lion necklace that he held between his fingertips, he sighed, "Squall…"

)()()()()()(

_Updated AN: Hey just went over a couple of things. Changed Hollow Bastion to Radiant Garden, since when I wrote this we did not know that Radiant Garden was its true name. Apart from that just making sure spellings okay..._

_To let new readers know, this story won't strictly stick to the KH plot but I will try to keep faithful to the KH story as much as possible. Difference being the overthrowing of Radiant Garden happens a lot nearer to the beginning to KH due to age issues of the boys...you'll understand later. So yes do not fret although Squall is dead, keep reading and you will begin to understand why I would do such a horrible thing. Trust me, read on Squall/Leon lovers, it's amazing what is possible in a magic inhabited universe..._


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

All was dark in his dreams, void of anything except from a vast nothingness. He only had his guilt and despair to keep him company. That and the ever chilling coldness that had remained with him after Squall's death. Always so cold.

His mind didn't conjure up any fantasies or visions of hope that normal people had. No, his mind never took a break from the terrible truth that had been unfairly bestowed upon him. The truth was that he was completely alone now. There were no strong arms wrapped around his sleeping form, no warmth to filter into his dream world. Why should his mind lie anyway, since it was his entire fault that he was now alone.

A gentle tugging attempted to pry him from his empty dreamscape. He tried to ignore it, in hopes that whatever was doing it would go away. Never the lucky one, the tugging continued and became more insistent. A voice rang in his ears, a soft feminine voice that he was familiar with. Knowing that the owner of the voice would not leave him be, he withdrew from the confines of his mind and came back into full consciousness.

Groaning he sat up and stretched his limbs. After his nightly mourning he fell asleep on the lumpy couch. He ached all over, tensing and then relaxing in an attempt to ease his knotted muscles. Rubbing his groggy eyes, he found it difficult to see clearly at first. They were sore after crying for most of the previous evening.

"At last! I never thought I'd be able to wake you Cloud." He moved over to give the girl who had interrupted his sleep room to sit down. She shook her head, choosing to continue standing. Her comforting emerald eyes gazed down at him, wide and honest.

"What is it you want Aerith?" he croaked, clearing his throat afterwards.

"I need to talk to you about something." she said hesitantly.

Raising a blonde eyebrow, he asked, "About?"

"Well, I've been going about town, trying to find out more about it since we're gonna be here for a while." she paused, taking in a deep breath, "And I met this old man. A bit crazy, but none the less intelligent."

"And?" he really wasn't in the mood for talking right now. Especially about her meeting some old coot in town. He couldn't make himself seem like he was even interested.

Able to sense Cloud's unfriendly mood, she decided to cut a long story short, "Before I tell you, you have to promise me not to get your hopes up." with a curt nod from the blonde male, she continued, "This man, Merlin, is a wizard of sorts who lives in this District. He told me that he was able to travel through time. And I just thought-"

Before she could say anymore he leapt up from the sofa, disregarding his body's complaints. He grabbed the Buster Sword and dashed for the front door. Aerith's protests were left unheard as he blindly ran outside to the Third District. She didn't need to finish her story, knowing fine well how it was going to end.

Maybe, there was a chance that he could go back and save Squall.

Time travel sounded ridiculous to even him, but he would do whatever it takes to get his love back.

Stopping in the middle of the Third District, his eyes roamed the open area. Aerith had thankfully not followed him, so he could gather his bearings without her getting in the way. He didn't know Traverse Town, since he'd stayed in his room since arriving. But he wasn't totally clueless about this particular section of town, having looked out at it many times from one of the windows. There was the small house where he and the gang had been staying, a door leading to the Second District beside it. Down the stairs led to the open space where he was currently standing. To his right was a humongous door which led to the First District, which he'd heard was closed off for some unknown reason. Then ahead of him and over to the left a little was a hidden slope which he didn't know where it led. However another large doorway stood beside this slope, a fire emblem carved into the wood.

It looked rather suspicious to him. Aerith had said that the guy was a magician, so it seemed fitting that he'd live beyond that door. Walking the short distance to said door he gingerly touched it, searching for some sort of door knob.

The door suddenly opened up, his hand instinctively grasped the hilt of his blade. Walking cautiously through, his enhanced eye's scanned the darkness for any enemies. The Heartless had invaded this world too, but he had been lucky enough not to encounter one as of yet. There was nothing though, apart from the silhouette of what looked like a round house. Light began to appear as he continued to walk briskly along. The house he had vaguely seen was now in full view, surrounded by water. A number of rock-like formations floated on the water's surface, acting as stepping stones to reach the building in the centre. Reaching behind him, he clipped his sword onto the magnet on his back. With speed and agility that he'd assumed lost after not training for such a long time, he hopped from one stone to another. Soon he reached a set of rickety steps and went in search of a door. It didn't take long to find one, a mere hole in the wall with a fabric sheet hanging over it. Not bothering to ask if it was alright to come in, he stepped confidently into the threshold. After all, it was only an old man he was dealing with.

Sat in a large chair atop a small platform, a wiry man with long white hair and an equally long beard peered down at him through thin glasses. On top of his head sat a tall blue hat that matched his robe and pointy shoes.

"You're late." the old man stated, looking at a clock on the opposing wall.

"You were expecting me?" Cloud asked with a bewildered expression on his face.

"Yes, you were supposed to be here five minutes ago. At least you're here now." Yep, he was dealing with a nutcase. The old geezer probably didn't even know his name.

"Look old man, I'm not here to mess around."

"My name is Merlin." the sorcerer announced.

"Merlin, whatever, I don't care. I'm here because I heard that you could travel through time, am I right." he asked, scepticism dripping from his voice.

"Yes, I've been to the past, the future, I've seen it all!" he threw his arms up to accentuate his statement.

"Could you take me to the past then?"

"I could, but-"

"Then take me there. I lost someone dear to me, I need to save them." the blonde urged, sadness tinting his voice.

Shaking his head, the wizard stood from his chair and closed his eyes, "If everyone who'd lost someone dear to them came to me asking to go back, things would get out of control." Stepping down to where Cloud stood, he added in a more serious tone, "Altering the past always has consequences boy. All could turn to chaos!"

"Please I'm begging you!" he never thought he'd hear himself say that, but he was that desperate, "I only want to change one thing. Please, I can't live without him!"

Merlin didn't know who 'him' was, but could see how lost the boy was. Taking pity on him, he patted his shoulder, "Okay, but once you get there, you'll be on your own."

If he wasn't so prideful he would've hugged the old man, but refrained from embarrassing himself, "Thank you so much. I am forever indebted to you."

"Nonsense. Just don't do anything stupid boy." A small smile ghosted on Cloud's lips, at the thought of saving his love. "Now, you need to tell me where and when you want to go. I may be the most powerful wizard in all the worlds, but I can't just go 'poof' and get you there!"

)()()()()()(

_Updated AN: See all is not lost! Cloud still has a chance to change history and save Squall. Will he really be able to stop Squall's death and will there be any consequences for his meddling? All will be revealed in due time. If you're still enjoying this fic, please keep reading to find out how it all pans out._


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"You are sure that you want to go through with this lad?" Merlin asked, having explained how time travelling took place and what side-effects could occur.

Of course, Cloud hadn't expected the process to be a simple one. Nothing in his life had ever been easy, so one more hardship wouldn't be that bad. Although he had been told that he might change things for the worst, he honestly didn't care. As long as he could get stop what happened to Squall somehow, everything else was inconsequential in comparison. He'd even offer his own head on a platter if he had to! After all, his own life was completely insignificant without his other half. Just as a violin is useless without its strings; a bird without its wings; a heart without its light, giving it reason to continue beating…

An hour ago his heart had been dead, but now with a fresh glimpse of hope, he could feel a gentle pulse awaken within.

Rolling his eyes, fed up of the repetitious old wizard, having asked the same question at least five times now, he once again answered, "Yes, nothing in all the worlds could change my mind."

They sat facing each other across the large circular table inside Merlin's small house. Heaps of random trinkets and junk littered the place, yet it was all arranged in a way that the old geezer could find things quite easily. Cloud used to have 'organised mess' too, that was until a certain brunet entered his life and whipped him into shape. Squall had always been anally tidy, so it was natural that he too had to change some of his bad habits for the sake of not arguing.

"_The things people do for love…_" the blonde closed his eyes and inwardly smiled. Not many people would go to the extremes that he was about to venture for love. He wondered if Squall would do the same thing if he was in his shoes.

With a sigh of defeat, the blue clad man removed his circle glasses from the perch on his nose, cleaning the lenses with the cuff of his robe. He was shaking his head, clearly disapproving with Cloud's decision. Yet he didn't seem totally surprised either. Truly a strange man.

"Oh well, better get this show on the road then." The bony man rose from his seat, replacing his specs back on his nose and hopped off the plinth they were situated on. Nearly losing his balance, he took a short moment to steady himself. Reaching into his left sleeve he pulled out a brown wand with his right hand. Peering at the blue eyed warrior over the rim of his glasses, he said insistently, "Come now dear boy, I don't have all day!"

Snapping out of a mini daydream, the blonde instantly picked up his sword and leapt down to stand in front of the barmy wizard.

"Careful where you point that thing laddie, you could poke someone's eye out with that!" the sorcerer lightly scolded, pushing his sleeves up his stick thin arms in a determined manner, only to have them fall instantly back down. Ignoring the smirk on Cloud's face, he crossed his arms over his long white beard and rubbed the bottom of his chin, "Now, how did that spell go again."

In a Squall-esque gesture, he brought a gloved hand up to his face, pinching the bridge of his nose. The way things were going, he'd have to wait for days before the man had figured out what the hell he was supposed to be doing! This old coot was supposed to be the greatest wizard of all time?

Spouting random spurts of gobbledygook, the wizard squinted his eyes in concentration. How was he meant to remember all the different spells and charms on a whim, when there are thousands upon thousands of them? If he wasn't careful, he could end up turning the young boy into a squirrel. He'd remembered the last time he'd turned someone into a squirrel. A scrawny little fella named Arthur had been his pupil of sorts during the medieval times. He had been trying to teach the boy some important lessons so he'd have a better chance at life. Of course the squirrel incident although deliberate, hadn't turned out as planned. Having two horny females and a hungry wolf on your tail wasn't what he had intended. He shuddered at the thought of the plump one that had chased him over the tree tops. Nope, he didn't want to relive that experience again.

"Anytime this century old man." the warrior said sarcastically.

Sputtering, he hit the top of the spiky head with the tip of his wand, "Quiet you, I'm getting there so keep shushed. And don't call me old man, my name is Merlin!" Cloud seemed to get the point as he huffed and didn't utter another word. The silence helped to jog Merlin's memory, "Aha! I've got it! Now, I need you to close your eyes and picture in your mind exactly where and when you wish to go."

Shutting his eyes, he didn't find it too hard to think up where he wanted to go. The terrible memories of that accursed day were imbedded in his mind's eye. He had been haunted by the images ever since he had arrived in Traverse Town. There was nothing that could keep his mind off that day. Well, he didn't attempt to do anything else but reminisce alone in his tiny room, which was all that he'd had the energy to do. He left the harnessing of the Heartless hordes to Cid and Yuffie, Aerith not being physically strong enough to withstand their power.

"Now I will send you to whatever time you wish using my magic…and lad, be careful. I wouldn't want something bad to happen to you." Cloud remained silent, barely registering Merlin's words. His mind was fully focused on where he wanted to go back to. With a slight clearing of the throat, Merlin began waving his wand toward the blonde's motionless figure.

"HIPITUS, SNICKETUS, TIMETOUS, REVERSIKOUS!"

Not impressed by the random made-up words he heatedly spoke, but kept his eyes closed, "Are you serious old man?"

"Old man?" his eyes snapped open in shock. He turned to the voice's owner in awe, "Who're you calling old man?"

)()()()()()(

_Updated AN: Is it sad that I still get excited even just reading things over myself? Haha must be a good sign, no point in writing something you wouldn't read yourself. A bit of a cliffy, but lucky for you all you can go onto the next chapter to find out who Cloud has just insulted by accident. Also want to mention the reference to a squirrel incident is from Disney's 'The Sword and the Stone' so if you haven't watched it, I'd recommend you do. It still makes me laugh after all these years._


	4. Chapter 4

_WARNING: This story is rated M for a reason, so if you're really young or easily offended by sex scenes, or just uncomfortable with the reading of such things please do not read this chapter. Also rated for Cid's swearing, cause he does it like a sailor. You have been thoroughly warned...to those who this is not applicable to, enjoy!_

Chapter 4

"Old man?" his eyes snapped open in shock. He turned to the voice's owner in awe, "Who're you calling old man? I might be a couple of years older than you, but that's uncalled for."

If he hadn't been so used to keeping his emotions guarded and kept in check, he would've cried. There he was, standing opposite someone who was supposed to be dead. Even though he didn't shed a tear, his heart jolted almost painfully against his ribs, anxious in the eyes of his one true love.

"S-Squall?" the blonde's flesh came up with goosebumps as a hand swept under his bangs and pressed against his forehead.

"You got a fever or something?" the brunet said in his usual monotone voice that turned his knees to jelly.

Swiping the hand off his forehead he grumbled, "Course not. Have I ever been ill?"

Shrugging and moving himself to sit on the edge of a table, arms crossed, Squall closed his eyes, "Then stop acting so goddamn strange."

"Fuck you." he retorted playfully.

"Whatever."

Still recovering from the shock that he had been with the strange old wizard one moment, and then the next he was back with his lion, he was rather proud of his fairly quick transition into some form of normality again. He was aware now that he was in Radiant Garden's library, the night before the Heartless invasion. Shivers ran up his spine in a foreboding manner as he remembered what had happened before. This time he wouldn't lose Squall. He wasn't sure how right now, but he'd figure out a way to change things to alter his partner's ill-fated future.

Remembering what Merlin told him about not modifying the past too much, he decided that it would be best not to warn about the Heartless, as much as he wanted to. Even if he said something, it's not like it would really change anything anyway. So for now, he'd use what time he had wisely, by spending this evening showing how much the gunblade wielder really meant to him. He might regret it later if he didn't. After all him changing his once past now future, would leave things uncertain. For all he knew, he might lose his own life instead…

Shaking himself out of thought, he stalked up to the brunet whose steely eyes remained closed. Smirking, Cloud leaned over him, his hands on either side of where Leon sat. Those captivating eyes revealed themselves, gazing down at him with a glint of curiosity.

Leaning in to leave soft kisses on the elder man's throat, Cloud whispered gently with a hint of lust, though nonetheless heartfelt, "I missed you."

Confused, the brunet remained immobile, allowing his companion to continue the ministrations on his neck, "But you've barely left my side all day. Idiot." His voice was somewhat breathy, but still stern sounding.

Chuckling with an undertone of sorrow which was left unnoticed, he moved up to trail the rigid jaw line, "I may be an idiot…" he continued along, until his lips hovered over the other's, tormenting close, "…but you're still gullible enough to turn to putty in my hands."

As he was about to make contact with lips that he'd fantasised about touching for what felt like an eternity, they were rudely interrupted by a cough behind them.

"This is a fuckin' library for god sake, get yourselves a room already!" the smoky voiced blonde boomed.

Ruffling his nose with distaste of the tobacco odour, Squall piped up, "You shouldn't be smoking in here Cid, this being a library like you said. Aerith would flip if she found out."

Cloud barely contained his laughter as the old pilot grunted, his cigarette being flicked in his mouth in agitation like a cat's tail. He'd forgotten how much he missed all of this. Like they say, you don't know what you've got till it's gone. The common phrase stuck in his mind, hurting more than it should have, now that he had a chance to make amends.

"Fuckin' kids," was heard grumbled lowly, "If you don't tell Aerith about me smoking', I'll not mention anything about you two about to fuck on her favourite reading table."

Pushing Cloud away from him to right himself, the flustered brunet said with a calm anger that only he could pull off, "Whatever. We weren't about to 'fuck' as you so colourfully put it anyway."

Hacking a laugh the pilot waved his hand, "Yeah, sure kid, whatever you fuckin' say. Catch ya later!"

Cid left the vicinity with an unpleasant smoker's cough that reverberated along the rows of bookshelves. Both of the young men winced with disgust, glad that the obnoxious pilot was now gone.

"Puts you off smoking for life, doesn't it?" Squall asked, cocking his head to lock eyes with the younger of the two.

"Yeah, but Cid wouldn't be Cid without his ciggies, alcohol and foul language." the blonde found it impossible to imagine a sober, pleasant mannered Cid who never smoked, not even casually. That would just be a completely different person.

"I guess so…" As usual, the brunet went into deep thought about something or other. Cloud had always wondered why he did that and what he was thinking about. Whenever he had asked in the past, he was always brushed off or ended up in a heated argument with the stoic one. So he had stopped trying a long time ago. However knowing that their time was running short, he decided to go right ahead and ask regardless.

"What are you thinking about?"

A smirk tugged at the corner of down turned lips, "Nothing…just thinking about going somewhere that we won't be disturbed by anyone again."

Eyes widening somewhat, Cloud was shocked that he could think about dirty things with a straight face. But that was yet another thing to add to the long list of why Squall Leonhart was a sexy man of mystery.

"Your room?" he asked. He wanted to take what might be his final look at Squalls bedroom.

Merely nodding, Squall wrapped a large gloved hand around his wrist and dragging him out of the library. Cloud felt almost nervous about going back to Squall's room. He hadn't been there for a long time now, and he didn't know if he could handle his emotions when he got there.

With Squall leading the way, they went through the main hall, past the ornate water fountain in the centre of the room and headed for the lifts. Even when they were travelling up in the lift the brunet never let go of Cloud's wrist. As soon as the lift stopped at their floor, Squall started towing the blonde along toward his room. The door was already unlocked; no one dared to go into Squall's room without permission, never mind to steal anything: so they went straight inside.

Just as expected, Cloud's heart surged with the familiar smells and atmosphere of his lover's room. You'd be hard fetched to find even a speck of dust, as the man always kept his space tidy. No dirty laundry on the floor, no worthless trinkets to waste any room, even his gunblade was tidily put away in its box, propped against the furthest away wall.

Passion swept over him and he threw himself into the man's sturdy chest, sending Squall's back to the door with a thud. He didn't respond at first, probably to knowing how to handle this sudden embrace. Eventually the man raised his hand and held the smaller man back, patting the back gently in a comforting manner.

"Cloud?"

Looking up, the blue eyed blonde found himself mesmerised by the man he pressed up against. Although the man's face was neutral and somewhat cool looking, blue-grey eyes twinkled with concern and emotion.

Reaching up to cup his solid cheeks, Cloud stared upwards in awe, "So beautiful…"

Before Squall could pull one of his confused faces, he stood on his tiptoes and pressed his lips onto his. As soft and warm as he remembered them, but far more sensational to actually feel them than to imagine it. Desperate to taste the man again, Cloud slipped his tongue along thin lips in a requesting gesture. Not one to refuse such a plea of intimacy from the blonde, Squall gladly opened his mouth enough for a pink tongue to slip through. Moaning into the kiss, Cloud slid his arms around the other's neck and pulled the man closer as if they might just melt into one another.

This was his heaven; him, Squall and a quiet room. Maybe he should have asked Merlin for a time loop spell, so he could relive this moment with Squall forever.

Now having made his lover somewhat breathless, chocolate hair mussed up, he pulled back and pressed his forehead against the other's, "I love you Squall."

Still catching his breath, he finally managed to reply, "Whatever."

Although it had never been discussed, Cloud knew that 'whatever' was his way of saying 'I love you too'. It had always been that way. Even though he'd always wanted him to say the actual words, the almost bashful expression of his feelings was kind of sweet. Especially coming from mister stone-cold himself. One day, he'd hear him say it; he promised himself to live through the upcoming mess just for that.

Smiling, Cloud gave the unsuspecting brunet a playful slap across the head as he retreated to the bed. Just as he reached the bed he was forced face down by a sudden weight on his back. Turning his head to both address Squall and stop being smothered by the bed sheets, he blew up at a golden spike that had settled on his nose, "Get off of me, you're heavy you know."

Kissing the top of his ear, Squall said, "Serves you right for hitting me back there."

Rolling onto his back and sitting up on the edge of the bed after Squall stood up again, Cloud reached out and took a hand. Loosening off the glove at the fingers, he then took the tip of the middle finger between his teeth and pulled the leather off. Cool eyes bore down on him as he repeated his actions on the opposite hand. He nipped a finger lightly before letting it drop to the other man's side and ran his free hand across the tight crotch of black pants. It didn't take long for the other hand to join in, seeking out the buckles of the three belts he wore. With great ease gained through plenty of practice, Cloud flicked open each belt and threw them aside, but slowly as to prolong Squall's state of arousal. He didn't want this to end quickly tonight.

Removing his own gloves he then hooked fingers into the waist of the leather pants and pulled them down to reveal creamy thighs and hardening cock. Yes, another wonderful trait of his; he never wore underwear, preferring to go commando instead. Made situations, such as stripping off clothes like this, a much quicker task. Not that he was in a hurry, not at the moment anyway.

Squall grunted as cool hands encased his member, rubbing it just the way he liked it as wet kisses were left along his thighs. It was torture, having that mouth he knew to be warm and wet so near, yet never touched his straining organ.

Blonde locks were gripped and his face was forced to tend to Squall's ever growing problem. He could already taste the salty flavour of precum as he began licking him from base to tip. Above him a throaty groan sounded as he sucked at the tip of his cock, coaxing out more cum to taint his lips. The hand in his hair tightened, almost painfully so, which meant that the brunet was getting close.

Using his own hands to remove Squall's from his head, he shook his head up at the bewildered looking man, "Not yet." he whispered.

A look of recognition crossed Squall's face, as he helped Cloud to his feet. They began removing each other's clothing. First, Cloud slid the small jacket off of broad shoulders, trailing down the man's spine before throwing it aside. While this was happening, Squall had managed to successfully unclip the blonde's shoulder guard, the metal clunking loudly as it met the ground. Once Cloud was done with stripping off his jacket, with his arms back in use he unbuckled the thick belt wrapped securely around his midriff. Between multiple buckles and layers, it took a good couple of minutes for them both to dress down.

Once liberated from their clothes they stood toe to toe, the taller brunet staring down into heavenly blue eyes. Cloud felt expectant under that heavy gaze which cried out the need for intimacy. He'd seen it many times before Squall's prior death, but it was different this time. That gorgeous look now only truly appreciated for it priceless ardour. Eyes that promised eternal companionship.

Walking around Squall, running his fingertips along the mouth-watering curves of muscled shoulders he gently pushed his lover to the bed. Catching himself on the sheets the brunet looked over his bent over back, the look intangible. Cloud couldn't tell whether that was a look of confusion or wantonness on that beautiful face. Squall was always the unreadable type.

"Give me a moment." he walked over to the drawer where he knew the lubrication would be faithfully waiting. As he reached the set of drawers he heard the shuffle of bed sheets rustling under Squalls body. Picking out the white tube he cast his sights on the man who was now comfortably lying spread-eagled on the bed, eyes shut under thick lashes. With an audible thud the drawer slid shut and Cloud with lube in hand sat on the edge of the bed.

Placing the lube under one of the pillows until the time came when it was required he leaned forward, close enough to stroke at the man's side tenderly. The skin went taut in a series of twitches as he continued to touch the other man.

"Stop, your tickling me." It didn't sound like Squall was in discomfort, but he stopped nevertheless. He was one for keeping a straight face and voice in any situation. If they made it, no; _when_ they made it through the next twenty four hours, he'd remember Squall's ticklish spot. Could come in handy if he wanted something. Although the brunet might just refuse to have sex with him if he did…maybe not then.

Getting properly mounted onto the bed the blonde crawled in between Squalls outspread legs, his face then hovering over the others. A small kiss, then another more pressurised kiss, and another…

They continued like this for minutes, Cloud merely letting his hands travel across the expanse of Squall's chest while the former lay there, responding pleasantly to the kisses that were exchanged. It was nice, for a few moments just enjoying the togetherness, the true meaning behind passion. Yeah a bit of roughed up sex is good and all, but this was about the love - for lack of a better word - that ignited it all. This was the reason behind their relationship, behind _any_ relationship: pleasure of sharing each other on not only a physical level, but a spiritual level too. The connection that binds two hearts, the core of one melding with the other. Not lust, nor love, but something of a different kind that cannot be put into words, only experienced through the senses.

Without breaking the kiss Cloud reached out for the lube, taking it into his grasp. Now he retreated from the connection of lips, squirting a good amount onto his free hand. Throwing aside the bottle he began to run his slick hand over the length of his cock. The sight must have been exciting Squall as he began panting with need. As much as he was enjoyed getting himself off, his lover needed tending to. It would be unfair if he was kept waiting any longer.

Lifting strong, slender legs up onto his shoulders Cloud was about to prepare Squall, but the brunet shook his head and grabbed his hand before he could do so.

"What you've got on will do." He spoke out of pursed lips.

Comfortable with Squall's wishes he settled himself into position, pressing in between sweetly cushioned cheeks. The two groaned as Cloud entered the brunet inch by inch, gradually as to not tear the man too badly. Once he'd gotten as much as he could in the blonde began to rock out and back in. Cloud watched as Squall took a hand and began rubbing his own erection, pleasuring himself as he was being penetrated back and forth. The sight made Cloud grip the man's sides and grit his teeth. He wanted this to last for as long as he could.

Building up pace Squall kept his strokes in time with each movement. His free hand fisted the bed sheets as he his pleasure elevated. Passionately pounding into his tight behind Cloud could not hold the tears building up in his eyes, rolling down his cheeks to drip onto the brunet's stomach. Would this be the last time he made love to this beautiful man?

Climax peaking Cloud cried out his lovers name from the depths of his heart, becoming momentarily numb as euphoria tingled his senses. A gush of Squall's essence coated his chest as he too orgasmed. Removing himself from within Squall the blonde collapsed beside him.

Desperately finding his breath again, he gulped before taking a piece of chocolate hair between his shaking fingers and said, "I love you."

A smile gracing his stern features the gun blade wielder replied, "Yeah, you too."

Powerful marble arms encircled him and pulled him in for an affectionate cuddle. Cloud mingled his legs with Squalls, head pressed lightly against the man's chest. Thoughts of tomorrow left his mind as the two embraced one another, the thought of them being together for eternity all that mattered in their moment: together.

)()()()()()(

_Update AN: There we go, a bit of man love is good for the soul, just makes you go aww (or phwoar, take your pick). So yeah...not much to say, a rarity for me haha. All I can say is the 'aww' factor is going to get short in supply in the following chapters. Continue on to find out what happens when Cloud faces once again, the day Radiant Garden falls...and a certain silver haired bad boy!_


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Cloud had fallen asleep not long after his session with Squall. However he woke up in the early hours of the morning, but decided to remain with his head resting on a firm chest. As he lay there he started to think forward to the upcoming events. What _was_ he going to do this time around? What could he change to save Squall's life?

Sadly nothing sprung to mind. Only of what had previously been ran through his mind over and over. The painful sight of Squall's bloodied body lifeless in his arms constantly returned to his thoughts. The corners of his eyes had dried up tears cracked on his skin, but he did not dare wake his lover to wipe them off.

It was now a few hours after dawn; he wasn't entirely sure the exact time, since there was no clock around to tell. But the sun had now begun its ascent toward the top of the heavens, where it would fall at noon to make way for the goddess Diana. Sighing he closed his eyes and took a breath deep into his chest, gently letting out all the fear and frustration as he exhaled. It wasn't time yet, so there was no need in worrying now.

Tumbling noisily through the door a young girl barged inside and leapt onto the bed.

"_Oh well, maybe it is time now._"

Shaking the bed sheets roughly the teen yelled, "Squally wake up! WAKE UP!" Smacking him on the face the brunet jolted into consciousness, eyes wide with shock. As soon as he realised the situation his eyes squinted into a glare solely for the girl knelt on the bed with him and Cloud, "We'!" Taking a breather she noted that the two men were cuddled up together and naked, a bit too much of Squalls upper thighs on show. That and there was also a strange smell that clung to the bed sheets…sex. Jumping off the bed with a squeal of disgust, the brunet's cheeks turned an interesting shade of dark pink, "Eh-heh, I do _not_ want to know what you two were up to before I came in." Closing her eyes and shaking her head as if to rid of any mental images, she continued, "I mean, I _know _what you were doing, but I don't want-"

"Yuffie," Squall abruptly cut her off, a slight annoyance to his voice and asked, "Now, what was so important that you needed to wake us up and slap my face? Try talk at a pace we can understand."

Her round face going uncharacteristically serious she nodded and repeated what she had said earlier, "We're in really big trouble and you guys need to get up and meet in the main hall with Cid and Aerith!"

"Why?" Cloud could've answered the man's question himself, but didn't want to. It would be a bit peculiar to them if he knew what the crisis was.

"The Heartless," Squall lunged forward, holding the bed sheet over his loins to preserve Yuffie's delicate eyesight, "A huge army of Heartless have invaded the town, and they're starting to move toward the castle. It doesn't look good." Running for the door she shouted, "Just hurry up and get dressed. I'll see you down there."

The second that the ninja girl had bounded out of the room and shut the door Squall and Cloud respectively got up and began flinging on their clothes. Cloud had taken longer, wanting to prolong facing the Heartless hordes and something much worse…

"I can't believe it." Squall grumbled as he hurriedly pulled on his trousers and pulled the zipper up, "Bastard Heartless. Wonder where the hell they came from this time."

Snapping on his hefty shoulder guard Cloud opted to remain silent. It was frustrating to not tell him. But like Merlin had said, there was only so much he could alter without totally messing up the future. He'd only say and do what was necessary to get the brunet out of this mess.

Hearing the clunk of a metal buckle being done up the blonde remained back turned to Squall, "Hey, you okay?"

"Yeah." He said insincerely, sounding it too. A hand landed on his shoulder making him spin round to meet the gentle gaze of his lover. The same hand then travelled up to caress his face, a fleeting smile flickered on thin lips.

"Hey, everything's gonna be fine." Squall reassured, unaware of Cloud's predicament.

Deciding to be optimistic for once he said, "Yeah, you're right." He gave Squall a brief hug before the man went to fetch his gunblade from its case. Strapping it on one of his various belts the chestnut haired warrior glanced at his companion.

"You have no weapon." Shrugging he headed for the door and peered over his shoulder, "We'll stop by your room on the way and pick it up."

Tagging along behind Squall he managed to keep up the running pace with his shorter legs. They had to take the elevator down a couple of floors to where his room was situated. He wasted no time in grabbing his huge Buster Sword, clipping it to the magnetic holder on his back straps and continuing with Squall all the way down to the ground floor. From the elevator it took very little time to reach the main hall. A group of people, consisting of both sexes, were pushing up against the large door which led to the outside. They were trying to keep a wooden bar held against the door, so whatever was trying to get in couldn't.

"Cloud! Squall!" Aerith dressed in her pink dress and lilac belt ran up to Cloud and embraced him tightly. Looking up between both of them, she said, "Thank goodness you're alright."

"Course they're alright." Cid snorted, cigarette grit tightly between his teeth, "Too busy fuckin' to come an' help, according to Yuffie."

Nervously giggling the lively girl waved innocently to the two glowering men, while Aerith sent a heavy scowl to the obnoxious smoker, "Cid! What have I told you about swearing?" She scolded, crossing her arms across her chest as the dirty-blonde scratched the top of his head with a sorry look on his face, "Just explain the situation to them." Them, obviously meaning Squall and himself.

"Alright. Fellas, thing's aren't looking too good for Radiant Garden." he explained diligently, "It seems that a whole army of Heartless have sprouted from Ansem's old lab, down near the Postern. God knows who did it, but one thing's for sure we can't compete against these darn basta-uh, I mean things." Aerith nodded in approval of Cid's restraint of the use of swear words, "Most of the city guard have been done in by the Heartless, and there's no one else here strong enough to defend the castle and the remaining survivors…'cept from me, Yuffie and you guys of course."

"I've been healing as many people as I can, but most of them were too far gone to save." the emerald eyed girl said solemnly, clasping her hands like she was about to pray, "I did the best I could."

"Of course you did." Cloud said comfortingly toward Aerith, who smiled thankfully, "I hate to say this, but just the four of us aren't going to be enough to save the castle. The best we can do is retreat and get to a safe haven with as many people as possible."

"How d'ya suppose we do that?" Cid asked, hands on hips and head cocked to the side, taking a long draw of his cigarette.

"First of all, we can't stay here. All of us need to get out of here before the Heartless manage to break through. We'll end up losing a lot of people that way." He remembered how it had happened before. There was no way he wanted to witness that again. Squall wasn't the only thing he was concerned about, "If we get everyone to run to the Gummi Ship hangar in the south wing, we can escape that way."

"But that's four floors up. How are we gonna get everyone up there?" Yuffie asked, practising different moves with her large shuriken.

"Some can take the lift up, we'll have fewer casualties then." Keeping his voice down as to not worry the civilians, he continued, "Aerith can take a group there, while Yuffie and Cid can escort the others up the castle."

"What are you and Squall going to do then?" Aerith enquired, looking not too pleased from being given a task with the least risk of getting hurt. She always seemed to be the one everyone thought needed extra protection.

"We'll keep the rear and fend off the Heartless for as long as we can, as well as search for any other survivors." It was amazing to him how easily the words slipped off his tongue. He felt like he'd been given a script from a play and was reciting them perfectly. Of course, he had said some of these things before.

"Not a bad plan." Squall complimented, smirking his way, a fine brown eyebrow raised. "Anyone object?" He motioned to the group, but Aerith, Yuffie and Cid all gave gestures of agreement. "Okay, I'll get everyone ready to leave."

Cloud watched as Squall left the group and made his way to the crowd of people attempting to hold the defences of the door. He sighed and ran his hand through his dandelion spikes. He was pleased with his plan: it would mean that more people would be guaranteed safety. In the past, they had spent too much time trying to save the castle from infiltration. This time, they'd all just escape while they still had the chance. Although, what of _him_? The beast that had broken his heart by taking the life of his lover? He would have to be dealt with somehow…

"Cloud." Squall's baritone voice broke through his train of thought, "We're leaving, you ready?"

His mind was set: he had to settle things before he left, even if things were to be different this time. He had to kill _him_, so _he_ could never hurt his Squall again. Reaching up to pull his face down to his own, Cloud pressed his lips lovingly against his lover's, "I love you."

When he moved back Squall's face was one of sorrow, his brow furrowed in a way that Cloud would find adorable in any other circumstance, "Why did that feel like goodbye?"

"It's not goodbye," he said, unsure of himself, "We're going to get out of this mess, both of us." '_I promise_' he ended in his head.

All the civilians had already broken into a run: some with Aerith to the lift; the rest going along with Cid and Yuffie. Cloud forced himself to not look at Squall. Things would be easier this way, if he just ignored the man as much as possible. Taking out his sword he felt empowered by the weight in his hands. He and Squall would get out of this alive: he'd sell his soul if he had to.

_BANG!_

The wood bent in the middle as it was hit violently from the other side.

BANG! BANG!

Holding the sword in front of him, Cloud focused all his energy into it. Nothing was going to distract him from the impending battle.

BANG!…

Silence followed after the door cracked slightly. They were going to open it with one final shove…

BA-NG!

The first swarm of Shadow Heartless fled in, half a dozen Defenders' trudging along after them. Wooden splinters were visible in their oversized shields. Cloud was not perturbed by them, but of course they were new to Squall.

"What the hell are those things?" the talented gunblade wielder shouted out as he swung his weapon at some Shadow's.

With a grunt as he slew another Heartless he yelled over the stampeding noise, "Defenders. You'll have to kill them from behind or parry their shields to get in a hit."

Both the men fought valiantly with finesse and skill. Cloud found it a lot easier to defeat the Defenders this time around, having had experience in battle with them before. Squall -as always- fought with marvellous valour and beauty, yet had some expected difficulty with the bulky Heartless. He managed though to defeat a third of them, since Cloud dealt with the other fraction. When more of the large fiends came trudging through the main door however, the two made the decision to retreat.

As a team they stuck together as they ascended the stairs that lead past the water feature. Cloud scowled demonically at each Shadow that reached out with its tentacle hands toward Squall, desiring the pure heart that sat beating in his chest. Since his focus was mainly on his lover's safety he failed to notice a Shadow leaping for him from behind. Cloud winced as he felt heated flame tingle the hairs on the back of his neck. He quickly glanced at his companion who had just let loose the ball of fire, swinging angrily at the never ceasing horde.

"You should watch your back more carefully." Squall spoke through jagged breath as multiple Shadows came at him, killing them all in one sweep.

Cloud had nothing to say back as he returned his focus to his surroundings. He had let his feelings and concerns slip, and it had almost gotten him into trouble. Sticking to his earlier goal of ignoring Squall, he plunged the Buster Sword into another Heartless.

"Let's head up through the East Wing." The brunet suggested, "That staircase will take us straight to the third floor."

"Okay, let's pick up the pace then." With that the two broke out into a fast jog, circling around each other to keep the defences up. Flat out running would leave them open for a back attack. Thus the two continued the dance of battle, their feet gliding along in the difficult routine. It was more difficult to fight on the staircase, being much narrower than the open space of the hallways. Not that this complication ceased their relentless movements.

After reaching the third floor they found their way to the staircase they had both sought. When Cloud stopped there Squall turned back, face squinted in confusion.

"Cloud, what are you doing? We're almost there."

Swiping away a Shadow he sighed heavily, "If I don't return in twenty minutes, tell Cid to set off with the ship and get everyone out of here, including yourself."

"No, I won't do it."

"Don't worry, I'm just going to check this floor for survivors." He lied, his heart beating harshly against his ribs, "I'm sure I won't take long. I just needed you to make sure Cid would be ready for me, and anyone else I find."

"You'd better be quick, Strife." With a final pat on the shoulder Squall went running up the steps, the sound of metal slicing through Heartless as he left.

Now running for the lift up to the castle chapel, he thought resolutely, "I'm going to end this, Sephiroth."

)()()()()()(

_Update AN: Cliffy, how evil they can be. However since the next chapter is available, you don't have to wait any longer to see how things unfold between Cloud and Seph. Can Cloud really finish his nemesis off once and for all, taking revenge upon his previously killed lover? If you wish to find out, please continue on._


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Once he reached the Chapel door Cloud took a few moments to catch his breath. A part of him sensed that this was not a good idea, that he should run now while he still had the chance. He had roughly fifteen minutes left to go back and get to the ship. Then he could go to Traverse Town with Leon, and perhaps, live happily ever after. Not that continuing to fight off Heartless could be termed as a 'happily ever after' scenario. But it was close, so damn close he could almost taste it.

Straightening himself out he decided to go ahead with his plan. With the man waiting behind these doors still alive, Cloud could not live in peace. He would forever be chased, sought after like a Class A drug. If he didn't end things now, his future would be endangered anyway. The last thing he wanted was for Squall to get hurt again, he didn't think he could live through losing him twice over.

Kicking the door in he walked in. His legs shook underneath him, making him grit his teeth in frustration. He did not want to look nervous, or heaven forbid, afraid. Cloud needed to look strong, confident, because if he looked it he was more likely to be feeling it too. Perhaps he should have been more worried about his inner-workings first then, since his heart attempted to escape his chest as he rose his eyes to a curtain of silver hair.

Standing so that he wasn't facing him, the tall man cocked his head to the side before turning around completely. He was always one for a show, a little bit of drama. Raising his sword, prepared, Cloud grimaced angrily at the silver-haired one.

"Cloud, it's so good to see you again," He took a step forward, to which Cloud answered with a backward step.

"I can't say the same thing about you Sephiroth," His palms were sweaty, but he refrained from wiping them on his trouser legs. No way was he going to drop his defences for such a small thing.

"It's a shame," He now began circling him, slow and ready to pounce, "Because I could save this place from destruction, if only you agreed to come with me."

Shaking his head in disgust he shouted, "Never! I will never go with you willingly, and you know that."

"But I could be so good to you Cloud, give you pleasures that only I could give you," Sephiroth smiled at that, which made Cloud only more mad. He was seeing red, and had to try calm down. Going into battle with such an unstable mind is as good as suicide.

"Fuck you," He felt a lot better for saying it, his anger had been vented through those words. Of course he was still pissed off. He was about to face-off with someone who had hunted him down for so long, and more importantly had killed his lover. Even though it technically hadn't happened yet. He would never forget, and most certainly never forgive.

"If only I were so lucky," Sephiroth stopped, raising his hand up. Darkness wrapped its way down his arm and manifested into his sword, Masamune, "I would say I hate to hurt you Cloud, but that would be a lie."

Without another word they leapt into action. With every clash of the sword came a cacophonic ring of sound, painful to the ear. But the blonde was fully concentrated on beating his opponent, the sound did not affect him. It seemed that the sound didn't affect Sephiroth either, but there was next to nothing that did affect him.

The fight was fierce, violent, and extremely taxing - on Cloud at least. He was tiring and didn't know how much longer he could put up a fight. Executing some deft moves Sephiroth finally disarmed Cloud, his Buster sword flying out of his hand. His cobalt eyes followed his weapons, so he was unable to defend himself from the kick to his side.

Following the path his sword had taken, Cloud landed near beside it. He held his side, feeling the broken bones in his ribs pressing into his lungs with every breath. A shadow fell over him, making him look up to the cause of it. Seeing the satisfied look on Sephiroth's face just rubbed in the fact that he had lost. Because of his foolishness now Squall would have to be alone, like he once had. He had thrown himself into this fate and not thought out the consequences well enough.

Hands reached down to touch him, and he closed his eyes. He felt like he was sinking into the floor. A cool thing with a liquid like texture swallowed him up, and he accepted it. He had no idea what was happening, but anything was better than being swept into Sephiroth's arms.

"Take me away," He whispered to the dampness that enveloped him. If he was to die, so be it.

Meanwhile an agitated Sephiroth looked down at the scene, withdrawing his hand back to his side. He scowled, turning around to the presence he'd sensed. She had a lot to answer to.

"Maleficent! We had a pact, that if I helped you I could keep the boy," His voice was low, not yelling, but full of vehemence that could rip the walls down.

She tittered a cold laugh, "I am fully aware of our deal Sephiroth. I am not quite finished with you yet, so our transaction is not yet complete. Once we are through, you can have the little runt. I have sent him somewhere, where I am assured that he will be kept safe for you."

"Damn you witch," He stalked out of the room, before he took the Masamune to her throat. He wasn't born to be patient: he was born to have Cloud.

)()()()()()(

_Updated AN: Obsessed stalkers, aren't they just persistent? Lucky Cloud has escaped the paws of Sephiroth, but for how long? What fate awaits him in the darkness? What of Squall, how will his fate unfold? So many questions, some of these answers can be found in the next chapter...if you're still here, I'm guessing you're still interested in reading more haha. Hope everyone's enjoying things so far, for the new and for those who are re-reading this._


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Gritting his teeth he swung his sword recklessly through the horde of Heartless. Even with his careless swordplay he managed to kill them, one after another. His anger forever drove him to victory. However the victories were never sweet ones, only bitter from the pointlessness of it all. He didn't truly have any reason to fight anymore. Only his loyalty to his friends kept him going. He had let one of his friends, no his lover, die because he didn't go to fight. Repeating such mistakes would truly break him inside.

Once all the putrid, black creatures were defeated he took a deep breath and leaned back onto a railing. He was tired, oh so tired of everything.

"Hey Squall, are you alright?" Yuffie asked as she strapped her huge shuriken onto her back.

"How many times do I need to remind you, my name's Leon," He gritted his teeth, hearing his old name always made him mad.

"Oops! Sorry, I'm still trying to get used to that," The petite girl bowed her head in apology, but he could see the slight grin hidden beneath her hands. Yuffie always did that, just to annoy him. He'd be angrier if he could, but he knew she was only trying to keep him going, make him feel alive. For that he was thankful to her. If she didn't keep pestering him all the time, he'd probably be sitting at home zombiefied, only feeling sorry for himself. To him, that was a fate worse than death.

"Whatever," Leon walked away, tapping his gunblade against his shoulder to the beat of his steps.

He had taken up the name Leon, because he felt like the old him had died all those months ago. Squall had died with Cloud, and Leon was all that remained. A cold, hard shell of a man.

"We'd better get back to the others and give a report," Yuffie bounded off ahead, full of energy and excitement as always.

He envied Yuffie for her youth, her ability to block out the past and keep a positive front. The man had never been even nearly as jovial as she. However whatever he'd once had was long gone now. Breathing in the air deeply centred him once more, allowing him to move forward after Yuffie.

Aerith was a gentle soul, but when made worried or kept waiting she could become very difficult. So the best thing to do was keep up with Yuffie and head back. He was not in the mood for a lecture today.

)()()()()()(

His head pounded with a thousand voices, whispering nonsensical words into his ears. It seemed like a century that he'd been falling through this dark abyss that had swallowed him up, away from Sephiroth. He chuckled to himself, glad the man hadn't been able to fulfil his desire to take Cloud away for his own. There was something deeply disturbing within that man, and he had little idea as to why he had such an astounding effect on the silver-haired warrior.

Not wanting to think of his nemesis any further, his mind wandered to Squall. How strong and prideful he was, yet so elegant and kind underneath. There really was no one else like him. He hoped that Squall managed to escape with the others and that his lover didn't get a chance to try come after him. What if Sephiroth got a hold of him after all? What if after everything, he still took his beloved's life?

"_I need to wake up_," he squirmed amongst the liquid hands that brushed over his body, like they were trying to hold him within the darkness. If there was any chance that Squall had been hurt, he needed to get out of here and save him before it was too late.

"Get off me!" he was surprised that he found the strength to use his voice, yelling at the unknown thing that kept grasping at his limbs. He had made a promise that he and Squall would survive and be together. Promises were not made to be broken, and neither was he. He would not falter, nor give in to this…creature, or whatever held him captive.

"Get off me!" he yelled even louder. He felt a warmth writhing at his core, before it burst out from his body in a beam of blinding light that took his breath away. The groping hands melted away, allowing him to cover his eyes with his forearms.

Suddenly the level of energy dropped to a normal amount, allowing him to breathe in a quick burst of breath before falling to the ground. It was cold, damp like the air that surrounded him. He groaned at the minor pain of scuffing his elbows as he'd tried to save his fall.

Before he could gain any resemblance of comfort, from out of nowhere chains stretched out, cuffs snapping around his wrists and ankles like magic. Prickly energy snapped where the cuffs rubbed against his bare skin, making him feel weak and sapped of power.

"What the hell is going on?" he moaned, barely managing to get up to his hands and knees.

"Ahh Blondie, I see you've finally arrived!"

Cloud yanked his head up to see the owner of the somewhat over-enthusiastic sounding voice. An extremely tall man -whether he was human or not he was unsure- stood before him, tilting down to get a better look at his face. He scowled at the blue skinned person, noting the similarly blue flame dancing atop his head. Who the heck was this guy?

"I'd heard you were a pretty boy, now I can see the rumours were true," The ethereal man chuckled, like everything was his own personal joke.

Making a noise of disgust Cloud went on to demand, "Who are you, where am I, and what the heck is up with these?" He shook the chains on his wrist, letting him know what he meant by 'these'.

"You don't waste any time do you? Loosen up a little kiddo, I made a gap in my hectic schedule -just for you, don't mention it-," he winked at Cloud with laughter in his eyes, "Just so I could come and meet you personally. I'm in no rush to…"

"Well I _am_ in a rush, so get to the point," Cloud cut across the man angrily. The chains binding him sparkled, sending a nasty shock through his system which left him panting.

"Ouch, just remember who you're talking to here. Wouldn't want anything bad to happen to you on your first day here," He poked Cloud between the eyes, making the young man growl in annoyance. It only amused the stranger even more, "Okay, okay I'm sorry. Right I'll explain everything to you right now. I'm Hades, Lord of the Underworld…"

"Underworld? Does that mean I'm dead?" Cloud whispered almost to himself, although loud enough for Hades to hear.

"Well not quite. But you're in my territory so you're as good as dead. Please stop interrupting me, you're ruining my flow…" he paused, allowing for Cloud to speak up. However to his delight the boy seemed to have decided to keep his mouth shut, "Excellent. Sooo we've dealt with the 'who am I' part - Hades, don't forget it." He flashed a dubious grin, as if he was up to no good, "The next part is 'where you are'. Well you ain't in Kansas anymore. We're currently underneath the Olympus Coliseum, where my Underworld resides. And lastly those shackles tie you to my kingdom, I own you now."

"Whoa wait a minute. What gave you the right to own me? I didn't sign up for this," In his quiet rage Cloud gathered the strength to stand, pointing a finger at Hades.

"Oh-ho you are feisty. Well the details of how you're mine aren't exactly important, strictly private business," Before Cloud could attack the god the chains dragged him back to his knees, tightening painfully around his wrists and ankles, "Calm down Blondie, you could get hurt," For a moment he lost control of his voice, going from cheerful to threatening very briefly.

Clearing his throat before he lost his temper, Hades sat himself on Cloud's back, making the smaller man groan, "However I like to play fair, business man and all," The blue being grinned wickedly, although Cloud could not see it, "I'm sure there's something you want, and there's something I want. I know all about your grudge against Sephiroth."

"Sephiroth?" the blonde panicked, it wouldn't surprise him if the older man had something to do with all this, "What do you know about Sephiroth? Where is he?"

"I know _everything_ Blondie, I'm a _god_ after all. I even know where he is, but-" he placed his hand over Cloud's mouth before he could talk, sprawling across the boy's back to do so, "I _could _tell you, but then what's in it for me? So what, I tell you where Sephiroth is. You kill the guy then go back to that boy with the bad attitude -honestly, I don't know what you see in the guy-." Hades ruffled Cloud's thick hair, like he was a toying with a child, "Then what would be in it for me?"

"_Squall's alive?_" Hope blossomed in his chest. Perhaps he would be able to get out of here and be with him at last. Although it was clear that Hades was not going to just let him go free. The god wanted to bargain? Cloud had little to lose, so whatever the cost he had to get rid of Sephiroth once and for all and get back to Squall. His lover would be worried about him.

"What do you want?" Cloud asked simply. He did not want to play around anymore. If it had been up to him this conversation would have been finished long ago.

"Ah so not all blonde's are dumb after all," Hades used Cloud's body to push himself back up, making the warrior grunt at the pressure, "All I need you to do is a very simple task - kill Hercules," Cloud didn't like how 'simple' this task was, there had to be some sort of catch to it. Maybe this Hercules guy had some special powers.

"_Whatever,_" he thought; nothing was going to stop him from getting what he wanted.

"So if you kill Hercules, I'll tell you where Sephiroth is so you can kill him and have your happily ever after, yada-yada," Hades twirled his hands in the air, clearly any topic that didn't involve him bored him, "If you fail to kill Hercules, I will own your soul. Fair trade huh?"

"My soul?" He should've known that the price for losing would be high. However it wasn't enough to deter him from his path. Destiny would fall in his favour, he was certain of this, "Whatever, you've got a deal."

"Smart choice Blondie, now if you could just sign this," he clicked his long fingers and a contract appeared in front of Cloud and a feather quill in his fingers. Cloud put the quill to paper, signing his name on the dotted line. With the last flick of his signature the contract and quill disappeared into thin air, the contract reappeared in Hades hands. He looked at the contract intensely, as if feeling the bind between himself and Cloud form on a spiritual level.

"So where is this Hercules guy? I wanna get this over with as soon as possible and get out of here," the shackles disappeared, allowing Cloud to get back onto his feet. He felt more like himself again, without the magical chains draining his power.

"I like your spunk kid, but killing Hercules ain't gonna be a walk in the park. Also before that, there are some issues with this look you're going with, I ain't digging it."

"My look?" What was wrong with the way he dressed? No one had ever complained before. He wasn't going to start taking tips from someone who thought a murky coloured toga was 'in'.

"Yeah your look, it just doesn't scream 'minion of the Underworld' to me."

Cloud sighed, knowing that any back talk would probably get him in chains again. He would do his best to stay patient with Hades, and take each annoyance one deep breath at a time.

"I've got the perfect look in my head. Trust me, you'll look great," Hades clicked his fingers once again.

A violet-blue smoke began to curl its way from Cloud's feet upward, winding around his every curve. He felt his clothes dissipate into the smoke, leaving him as naked as the day he was born. Throwing a glare toward the grinning god he was relieved when he felt cloth against skin once again. However there was an intense pain piercing through his left shoulder, as if something was trying to get out from under his skin.

He cried out as a demonic looking wing shot out through flesh. Looking around to see what had happened his stomach sank. It was as if it had been created to oppose Sephiroth's angelic wing. Closing his eyes he tried and failed to fight the images of Sephiroth's smirking face. No doubt the masamune wielder would just love to see him like this. Hades must have done this as a cruel joke, and already he realised that even if he protested he was stuck with it now.

"Ahh perfect, you've got that tortured soul look going on," Hades laughed cruelly, "It suits you."

)()()()()()(

_Updated AN: This is the last of my older chapters getting spruced up, so from here on are the completely new chapters. There are probably still plenty of mistakes that I have missed, for which I do apologise (errors are usually made due to writing things at ridiculous times of the day, when I should be sleeping). Love Hades in this chapter, he's such a prick haha. Poor Cloud though, losing his freedom and being given his own unique physical reminder of the one that he loathes. Leon is doing well all things considered, but then again his character is good at hiding things behind barriers and generally ignoring anything that makes him feel uncomfortable. So next up are the newer chapters, at last!_


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

At first the day had began as mundanely as each that had passed before. He woke up disappointed in the fact that he was still here in this nightmare he called 'life'. Then he proceeded to freshen up, get changed into his attire and then headed out on patrol. Luckily enough there had been no sign of the others today. Sometimes one of them, usually Yuffie or Aerith, would come around to make sure he was okay. He didn't know what they expected to find. Considering the relieved look on their faces each time, Leon expected they thought that one of these days he'd finally break. Just showed how little they really knew about him. _He _would've known that Squall had been through a lot, and that he would never let anything break him, not even losing _him_...

Leon couldn't even think the blonde's name, the letters, the sound of his own voice calling it, everything about that name still hurt. It was currently too raw to face. Although one day he knew, he would have to face his hurt head on. He was not the kind to run away from anything, let alone his own feelings. But as with everything else in his life, he would do it alone without anyone's prying eyes. He could mourn once he'd dealt with the Heartless, whom he suspected were responsible for his loved one never coming back. For now, he could deal with things by realising 'Squall' no longer existed and only Leon remained.

There was something fundamentally different about today though; more some-_one _than some -_thing_. Going through the second district he spotted a horde of Heartless all gathered in one spot, writhing disturbingly around someone. Grabbing his gunblade he poised himself, ready to run into battle. Before he could take more than a step forward, the Heartless vanished. Only a delicate looking boy remained, his oversized looking clothes only making his stature look even more fragile. The unknown boy smiled and walked on, tapping an oddly shaped sword against his shoulder.

Leon recognised that weapon, not that he'd ever seen it before but he remembered it from a conversation he'd had a while ago, he couldn't quite remember who with. There was no doubt in his mind that this was the legendary keyblade. The shape was distinctly key-like and he'd never seen such a blade of its kind before. He remembered that those who wielded the keyblade were known as the 'chosen ones'. How in all the worlds, did it end up that the chosen was a scrawny looking kid?

Following him right back to the first district Leon watched the boy slip into Cid's shop. He decided that he would confront the boy as soon as he came back out. It had been a small amusement to him so far, but soon he knew the stalking would get boring. The whole universe was in turmoil, and it was said that the keyblade bearer would lead everyone back into the light. Sure the child had held his own quite easily against the heartless, but could such a young boy truly fight what would undoubtedly lie ahead? Leon wasn't too sure, he'd sooner believe that there had been a mistake and this innocent boy just couldn't be _the_ chosen one.

At last the boy exited the store, making his way toward the staircase. Before he could reach the steps Leon stepped out and stated, "They'll come at you out of nowhere."

Taken aback the kid exclaimed, "Who are you?"

Already Leon knew this boy really was a child, who was simply lost in this world. Perhaps he needed to let the kid know exactly what was coming after him, "And they'll keep on coming at you, as long as you continue to wield the keyblade." Shaking his head slightly he once again pondered to himself, aloud this time, "But why? Why would it choose a kid like you?"

Offended by the question, the boy puffed his chest out in a futile attempt to make himself look bigger than his small stature, "Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"

Clearly the brunet warrior was getting nowhere fast with this kid, who simply couldn't comprehend what he was saying, "Never mind." He brushed the boy's question off, and began to walk hand outstretched towards him, "Now, let's see that keyblade."

The boy looked slightly frightened now as Leon approached, holding his weapon closer to his body, "What? There's no way you're getting this!"

Amazing how the boy truly had no clue whatsoever about the item he held within his grasp. It was the keyblade that kept attracting the Heartless to him. Still he did not want to part with it, not even for a minute. The gunblade wielder thought the boy truly an idiot, and that the only way he could knock some sense into the kid, was by literally knocking some sense into him. Of course he'd go easy on him though. After all, he was just a young boy.

"All right, then have it your way." Leon unsheathed his weapon and tightened his muscles, ready to leap into action.

The poor boy looked terrified at his approach, as the experienced warrior held his gunblade casually against his shoulder. He crouched into a shaky looking battle stance, one that Leon could see several openings in. If this was what they had against the great evil of the world, they had a problem...

Stopping in place, Leon focused his energy into forming a fireball in his hand then flung it out towards the boy. He deliberately released the flame so that it approached the boy slowly, so that he had time to at least dodge out the way. Which he did, rolling to the side agilely to land unsteadily on his feet. Leon had to admit at least the boy showed promise with his agility, but clearly there was much improvement needed in the overall quality in the kid's fighting style.

Suddenly he leapt a large distance to meet the stranger and slashed toward him, only to be parried by the boy's keyblade. The warrior continued with three more attacks, each which the kid managed to fend off valiantly. Maybe this kid wasn't as hopeless as he'd first thought.

Now that the boy had gained some confidence, he rolled behind Leon and hit the man's back with the blunt side of the keyblade. Lurching forward Leon felt a sudden rage underneath his calm visage. How did he lose enough concentration to let such a simple tactic fool him? Now he had something to prove against this kid. He had after all been taking it easy so far and now, he would hold back just a little bit less.

Sweeping around the annoyed warrior began a flurry of attacks, each hit clanging loudly against the keyblade. Once again the boy's features changed to an expression of concern, clearly realising he was somewhat out of his depth. Noticing a strained panting from the kid, Leon decided to pull back from his onslaught. Sure he might have pushed the kid a bit too far, but it looked like he was finally beginning to understand how things were.

Struggling to get a breath in the boy panted, "Now you're...gonna...you're gonna..." He then proceeded to fall backwards, fainting from the exertion from the battle.

Pleased that no one had seen his mishap, Leon put away his weapon and glanced down at the boy. That was, he thought no one had seen. He was proven wrong as an annoying cheerful voice called out condescendingly, "Aww, you're slipping, Leon."

Of course Yuffie out of everyone had to see his defences be broken by a brat. Come to think of it, the boy and she would probably get along swimmingly taking their childish personalities into consideration.

Scoffing he said in a matter of fact way, "I went easy on him." Standing over the boy now he looked down at his unconscious form and frowned. Yuffie joined him, peering down curiously at the young boy lying there, "Looks like things are worse than we thought. A _lot_ worse."

"Don't be such a pessimist Squall," she punched his arm, kneeling down to take a closer look at the keyblade bearer, "Sure he's inexperienced, but I'm sure you could teach him a thing or two."

"I don't have time to deal with a kid," He grimaced, and ruffled Yuffie's hair just to annoy her, "...and it's Leon."

"Ohhhh all right, all right!" the ninja attempted to reorganise her hair, "You didn't have to do that, you meanie!" She stuck her tongue out at the scowling man, then leapt up and shouted, "For that _you_ can carry the kid back to the hotel. Princess' don't carry anything heavy."

"Good thing you're brain is really small then," Leon hid his smirk as he lifted the young boy into his arms. He was heavier than he looked; it was probably those big shoes and all the baggy clothes he was wearing. If this boy truly was the chosen one, he had a thing or two to learn. He remembered his lost loved one, the story of how the little blonde from a small town defeated one of the greatest enemies Radiant Garden had ever faced. If Cloud could do it, perhaps the kid could too. Leon winced on the thought of his past lover's name, but just as quickly the pain was replaced by a small glimpse of hope.

"Squall—" Yuffie whined as she stomped her feet, "You're such an ass!"

)()()()()()(

The intense heat of the Grecian sunlight still gave the blonde warrior an equally intense headache even after all the months he had been stuck in this god forsaken universe for. Well at least Cloud wished it were truly 'god forsaken' then he wouldn't have to worry about Hades being on his case all the time. The weird, cheerful yet sinister dramatics were grating on him even more day by day.

Although he was aware that months had gone by, Cloud didn't know exactly how long he'd been here at the Olympic Coliseum: too long in any case. By now he would have thought he'd have defeated this Hercules character, defeated Sephiroth and then been able to go back to Squall. As a matter of fact he hadn't even seen Hercules with his own eyes, and was starting to believe that Hades was keeping him away from the acclaimed 'hero' just to mess with him. If that was Hades true goal, as much as Cloud hated to admit it, the blue bastard was succeeding.

He had always been one for time alone, but this level of isolation was too much even by his standards. It had been so long that he even missed Yuffie's constant pestering and childish taunts. All he had for company was his trusty Buster sword, which he practiced with every day knowing that he'd need to be at his best when facing Sephiroth next. Cloud had vowed that the next time they faced one another, it would be the last. Whenever the tournaments were on he also entered, at Hades behest, but still it gave him the opportunity to polish his skills in real battle.

Today was the beginning of yet another tournament. However this tournament was meant to be the preliminaries for newcomers to the competitions, and he had surpassed this level a long time ago. Hades demanded he enter as an opponent for one of the newcomers, a boy named Sora. The kid had been doing well, making his way through the ranks – to Hades great displeasure.

"That little punk is your next opponent, okay?" Hades pointed through the barrier to the boy and his two strange companions, jumping around like little children who'd just won a game. Of course, the boy just was a little kid, surely too young to be fighting like this, "Now, don't blow it. Just take him out."

There was something off about Hades, more off than usual anyway. The god seemed unnerved by the young boy for some odd reason. To Cloud's eyes, there didn't seem anything particularly special about the kid. Apart from the fact he was defeating Heartless at such a young age, that and his very peculiar weapon. He remembered overhearing Hades saying that it was a 'keyblade'. He was not about to complain though, any opportunity to see the lord of the Underworld uneasy like this was a moment to be cherished.

"The great god of the Underworld is afraid of a kid?" muttered Cloud coolly, eyeing up the god to gauge his reaction, whose eye twitched slightly in annoyance. It was a good start to proceedings.

"_Why should I fight a little kid, that's just...wrong._" Something Squall would never approve of, he thought with a frown. Perhaps he should just remind Hades of what exactly the deal between them was, "Sorry but my contract says-"

"I know! You think I don't know? I wrote the contract!" Hades spat angrily, a sign he was close to completely losing his temper. The next sign would be that his skin and the fire atop his head would turn to the shade of true flame, something (although amusing) Cloud did not want to face today, "I know it says you're only acquired to kill Hercules in this tournament. But you've gotta fight that kid to get to him. Come on." The god returned to his faux cool guy act, trying to sound casually persuasive. None of Hades clever chat had ever -and would never- be able to sway Cloud into seeing his way; not in a million years.

"Hey it's like that old goat says," he motioned toward the satyr who was currently talking to the trio in the arena, "Rule number eleven: It's all just a game, so let loose and have fun with it." Hades punched the air playfully, his eyes gleamed at the thought of getting rid of Sora.

Settling down he added, "I mean, a casualty or two along the way is no big deal, right?"

"_Maybe not to you..._" Cloud internalised, skulking away from his position against the wall. He had to get away from Hades before he did something he may regret. Could he really harm an innocent kid? The boy couldn't be any older than fourteen, still young in the ways of the world as well as in age. It was against everything he'd ever believed in, but if he didn't fight then his contract with the god would become null and void. He would probably never see the light of day again, never to see his brunet lover again. After all he'd been through he couldn't just throw away the chance to see Squall again, but if he fought, could he live with his conscience afterwards?

Sitting in the lobby he ran a gloved hand through his blond locks, hoping an answer would spring to mind. If he didn't think of something soon, he'd need some kind of miracle.

)()()()()()(

_Good lord it's been a very long time, years if I'm not mistaken. Better late than never, so here is after much time the next instalment of this tale. Thanks to all of you who have reviewed over this hiatus, I've not had the chance to reply to every review sent but I hope you all understand how grateful I am for everyone's continued interest and enjoyment of this story. Since it's been a while, I've gone over all the chapters again and I've corrected some spelling mistakes and other things that I've noticed (how embarrassing!)._

_So yeah, poor Cloud is having a bit of a crisis (if only he knew his Squall had already given the same kid a bit of a fight, whoops!). Cloud doesn't need anything else to be mopey about, so he better think of something fast! Until next time, see ya!_


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The Buster Sword felt incredibly heavy sitting in his hands. Not because of its size or weight, but because of the way in which he had been ordered to use it in. Against a child, not even a grown man, to the death no less. At least when Hades had mentioned sadistically a comment about a few 'casualties', he took that to mean he was to wipe the kid out, permanently. As desperate as he was, Cloud knew deep down he could not take this Sora kid out. He also knew he had little choice in fighting.

All Cloud could do was fight, as much as he abhorred it, but somehow not harm the younger fighter too badly. Hades would not be happy, but the god's happiness was the last of his concerns. As agreed Cloud would keep his promise to Hades and fulfil his contract, and nowhere in that contract did it state anything other than having to defeat Hercules. In return, he would gain his freedom and be given the whereabouts of Sephiroth. How could an agreement seemingly so simple turn out to be anything but, it frustrated Cloud to no end.

The least he would do today was make Hades believe that he sang from the Lord of the Dead's hymn sheet, but only to a certain degree. The last thing Cloud wanted was for Hades to twist things so that he could go back on his word and nullify the contract. Hearing his name being called out from the battle commentator, he lifted his sword up against his shoulder. Taking a well needed deep breath, he centred his thoughts before stepping out into the arena. However his composure fell apart inside, as he finally met the young Sora face to face. The spiky brunet hair, deep blue eyes, reminded him of Squall. How was he meant to face the boy now, with thoughts of his lover swimming dizzily inside his head?

The blonde didn't even hear the claxon as the duck mage, whom he vaguely remembered being called Donald, cast a wind spell his way, almost knocking him off his feet. Recollecting his composure he pulled out his sword in time to parry Sora's other ally Goofy away. The dog-like man briskly trundled off instead of following up his initial attack, leaving Sora to take his place.

The oddly shaped weapon clanged off his own, with a surprising amount of force behind it which was unexpected by Cloud. Sora was stronger than he looked, so it seemed. Even with his conflicting thoughts making him lose focus, Cloud realised he had to get rid of the boy's companions if he stood any chance of winning the match. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a flash of orange – obviously Hades wasn't too impressed by his performance thus far.

The god did not need to be so impatient however, as Cloud released the energy pent up inside him. With this power, he could easily put an end to the two fighters, leaving him with the one he would need more effort to defeat. His single wing whooshed out from under his crimson cape, crackling with devilish lightning. In a flash he swept up behind the mage and hit him in the back with the blunt side of his sword. Before Donald even fell to the ground he flew behind Goofy and did the same to him. Sora looked despairingly as Cloud settled back down to earth and the two companions hit the floor.

Cloud had only hit hard enough to knock them out for a little while; there was no need to do any permanent damage. All that was required of him was to at least knock out each of his opponents and then he could walk away from this battle with only a little guilt on his conscience. It was one thing to destroy Heartless, it was another to hurt an innocent person.

Energy emanated from the boy, enraged by his friend's downfall. Raising his weapon the boy suddenly pointed it toward Cloud, fire pouring out from the end. The ends of Cloud's cape caught fire as he barely dodged out the way. Quickly he stamped the flames out with his boot before returning to a defensive stance.

Sora dashed straight for the warrior, leaping into a somersault, the resulting force of their weapons clashing makes Cloud's stance weaken ever so slightly. Even though his performance was severely impeded by his mental anguish, Cloud knew that there was something different about this boy. Not only was he distinguished by his unique weapon, but he sensed there was more energy locked beneath the surface, waiting for its full potential to be released.

As the battle continued Cloud felt his own energy ebb away. He felt ashamed to be facing off with such a young boy, which made him feel weaker than he ever had before. It was with this thought that he decided that winning was not worth it, and he willingly fell to one knee and lowered his head. He heard the satyr yelling out praise to Sora as he knelt on the ground. As he heard Sora's footsteps approach him he stood, prepared to congratulate the boy on his victory.

Cloud's stomach dropped as he noticed low growls from behind him. No sooner had he turned round that an enormous paw came down upon him. Hades clearly had disregarded the rules by releasing his beloved hell hound Cerberus. Cloud gladly accepted the darkness that blanked out his mind before the sense of worthlessness could take him over.

)()()()()()(

A throbbing sensation in his head welcomed him as he came back into consciousness. He was lain out on a golden pedestal, ornately designed with mythical beasts etched into the side. All of the recent events began to come back to him. The last thing he remembered was Cerberus squashing him underneath its gigantic paw. Cloud wondered if Sora was okay, and then felt guilty for passing out so willingly. He felt like a coward, running away from all the situations he deemed too difficult or painful to deal with. The blonde promised to himself that this mindset would have to change.

The arena doors creaked open as the satyr Phil made his way inside the building. He took one seething look at Cloud then walked over to him, "Are you alright kid? I didn't even see that stupid dog comin', Hades is a good for nothin' punk."

"I'm fine," He ran gloved fingers through his trussed up hair, "What happened? Is Sora alright?"

"Hercules is the one that saved you, prised you from Cerburus' paw himself," Of all people, this Hercules guy was the one that saved him? How ironic he mused. Thinking to himself he wondered if things would have been different if Hercules knew what Cloud was contracted to do to him, "The kid and his friends are fine. Heck, they kicked that dog straight back to hell."

"Hades won't be too happy about that," Cloud smirked, getting to his feet.

Bellowing a raucous laugh Phil chuckled, "I've got two words for you: I don't care."

Confused the blonde counted the words the satyr had just spoken. Hadn't he said three words just now?

"Hey kid, I know you're working for Hades. I've got three words of advice for ya: bad idea."

Ignoring the word count Cloud made his way to the exit, his feelings threatening to spill out from the knot in his throat, "It's not like I have a choice." He whispered, feeling the impact of the truth in his words.

"Everyone has a choice kid." Phil added, his attempt to reason with Cloud failing miserably.

Scoffing Cloud tilted his head back at the satyr, hand on the exit door, "Trust me, I really don't."

)()()()()()(

Sitting at the steps which lead to the borders of the world, Cloud sat looking skyward. It was truly beautiful, with the sun shining softly down as delicate white clouds floated across the blue skies. All he could think about however, was that he wished Squall were there sitting beside him. Although Squall was too intense to just sit and appreciate the view, he was always thinking of something or other. The company was sorely missed though. It had been a long time since he'd had his last farewell with the brunet at Radiant Garden. Cloud closed his eyes and wished with his whole being that somewhere out there, in the vast universe, that Squall was safe and well. Head falling down he heaved a sigh, his heart feeling the weight of the loss he currently felt.

"Hey are you alright?"

The soft voice broke him from his reverie. Cloud looked up to find Sora with a concerned look on his features. The boy probably thought he looked pathetic, sitting here feeling sorry for himself. If that were the case, the boy was right.

Swallowing down his emotions he replied somewhat coolly, "Yeah."

"So, why did you go along with it anyway?" The boy asked curiously, making Cloud's stomach churn with guilt as he concealed his face slightly behind his hands.

There was no way he was going to open up to some kid. Even if Sora were a grown man he still wouldn't have opened up because talking about it all would be too much. How to explain to someone all that had happened to him? It was too much baggage for anyone to listen to never mind bear on their own shoulders. Cloud couldn't change what had happened, all he could do was keep hope for the future.

How to put things in the way the boy would understand, without over sharing, "I'm looking for someone. Hades promised to help." It felt strangely pleasant to be offloading to someone about this, even though in a very vague manner. Feeling a little of his inner strength return he stood up as he continued, "I tried to exploit the power of darkness, but it backfired." Cloud felt rage at the thought of Sephiroth and how he failed to defeat him, instead being carried away by the darkness that consumed him, "I fell into darkness, and I couldn't find the light."

Cloud's eyes slid back up to the sky, thankful for the warmth of the sun that shone down upon the two of them. It reminded him of the warmth he felt whenever Squall wrapped his arms around him, or whispered something softly into his ear. One day he hoped he'd feel the warmth of his warrior again. Nothing was sweeter than to bask in the glow of the 'lion's' presence.

"You'll find it," Sora smiled as Cloud looked down at him. In that moment, the blonde believed that Sora's words were true. It would be hard not to believe, when the boy sounded so absolutely sure of himself, "I'm searching too."

"For your light?" Cloud realised that he had been selfish all this time, thinking that he was the only one who had lost to the Heartless and all the evils of the universe. This young boy had also lost someone important, and he wasn't wallowing in self pity. So why should he?

The boy nodded, and Cloud gave a slight nod in return, showing that he understood what Sora was going through. Funny how someone so many years younger than himself showed such a great inner strength and maturity. He felt he had learnt an important lesson, one he was grateful to receive.

Strolling up to Sora he pulled a trinket from his trouser pocket, dropping it into the boy's hand. It was the least he could do in return for his kindness, and also a way of apology for what had transpired in the coliseum.

"Don't lose sight of it," He said before walking back to the coliseum entrance. He and Hades had some interesting things to talk about, and he didn't want to waste anymore time. The god was about to get a piece of his mind, and Cloud knew he wouldn't like it. He didn't mind though, he felt empowered and ready to carve out a new destiny for himself.

Sora's voice stopped him in his footsteps as he yelled over at him, "How about a rematch sometime? Fair and square, no dark powers involved?"

There was no helping the slight smile that etched onto his face, as he flicked his golden fringe and replied, "I think I'll pass."

There were more important things to deal with than sparring with the young boy. He had to firstly deal with Hades, and then find Sephiroth. Once he found and defeated his nemesis, maybe then he'd reconsider Sora's offer.

)()()()()()(

_Cloud got a chapter all to himself, what a lucky cookie. Considering what a hard time he's had, I think he's earned a little solo spot. I'll make sure there's some Leon in the next chapter though, in case anyone is missing him (I know I do!). At least Cloud is getting some grit back, I like optimistic Cloud. Wonder how things will pan out with his little chat with Hades though, will his newfound confidence and self belief falter? You'll have to read and find out next chapter._


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Leon had believed that the secret waterway nearby the alleyway was his own place to have some time away from the others. It was a place he came to when he felt like he needed some space to breathe and think for a while. It wasn't that he felt any ill feelings towards his friends, but by nature he was a solitary creature.

However he discovered that Aerith had noticed his absence, and how he would slip out at random times of the day. So she had followed him and thus his secret place was no longer secret. He knew she had meant well, but sometimes she was overly motherly towards him. It felt to him like he wasn't trusted to be alone and not do something stupid. Truthfully the thought of ending his life had crossed his mind, but each time realised that was a foolish idea. Cloud was no longer around, but that was no excuse for trying to run away from his problems. He was no coward, and would never let himself be so weak.

Time passed slowly as he felt Aerith's bright green eyes burn a hole into the back of his head, as he futilely attempted to ignore her while practicing his gunblade techniques. To keep up with the ever increasing strength of the Heartless, he needed to practice as much as he could. The hours he slept increasingly lessened as time went on, as he felt it was more important to be alert as much as possible. Today he felt a little tired, but nothing would make him falter until he managed the impossible by eradicating the enemy.

The warrior and flower enthusiast were surprised when Sora and his odd duo appeared out of the blue. Leon felt irate that his 'secret' had been found not once, but twice in one day. Next time he'd need to try harder to find somewhere truly secret, so no one could find him if he needed some down time.

Sora explained that during his travels he'd found a strange lock of sorts in one of the worlds, which the Keyblade had reacted to without the boy's input. Leon remembered something he had read in Ansem's report, about anomalies called Keyholes. If he remembered correctly these Keyholes were the heart of the worlds, which made sense as to why the Keyblade was the only thing that could save all worlds.

"So you found the Keyhole." Leon sheathed his gunblade and paid full attention to Sora, who opened his mouth in an 'oh' shape, memorising the term for later use.

"Yeah, the Keyblade locked it automatically," he held out the Keyblade, pointing it outwards towards nothing in particular.

"Good," Aerith clasped her hands as she sighed softly, pleased with Sora's progress with the Keyblade.

Placing his hands on his hips, Leon frowned, deep in thought as he explained, "Every world among the stars has a Keyhole. And each one leads to the heart of that world," He thought of how the Heartless constantly swarmed Traverse Town, and how they could only be looking for one thing, "There must be one in this town as well."

Befuddled Sora scratched his head and asked Leon, "What do you mean?"

Whispering softly, Aerith's eyes glossed over with a faraway look, as if trying hard to remember some piece of information that was just out of reach, "It was in Ansem's Report."

"The Heartless enter through the Keyhole and do something to the world's core," Aerith stared at Leon, and between their gazes they shared the memories that they both wished they could forget.

Showing his cluelessness about the situation, Sora asked, "What happens to the world?"

Pulling her gaze from Leon, Aerith faced away from the group slightly as she stated, "In the end, it disappears."

Sora, Donald and Goofy all cried out, "What!" disbelieving that such an act by the Heartless could cause such destruction, so easily.

Motioning towards the Keyblade Leon said, "That's why your key is so important."

Turning back to the group, Aerith's eyes were welled up with unshed tears, yet she still smiled as she spoke, "Please lock the Keyholes. You're the only one who can."

"I don't know..." Sora was clearly feeling some lack of confidence in himself. It reminded Leon of how Cloud was, always second guessing himself and being self critical about his abilities. With experience his self deprecating behaviour settled down a little bit. Perhaps Sora too needed some more life experiences to build up his self esteem.

"Seeing other worlds would probably serve you well," The long haired brunet suggested. If Sora was to ultimately save the universe, he would need to travel as many worlds as he could anyway. Leon hoped that the experience would also help the boy understand the situation he'd been thrown into some more, and perhaps along the way, he would mature enough to cope with the heavy burden that had been placed upon him.

Donald exclaimed, "Yeah!" Clearly finding Leon's advice agreeable.

Goofy added cheerfully, "We gotta find your friends! And King Mickey!"

Sullenly Sora muttered, "I guess you're right..." He paused a little while, mulling things over in his head before raising his chin and grinning, "Okay!"

Fishing around in his deep pockets, Sora stuck his tongue out in concentration. He beamed a smile as his fingers grasped onto the item he'd been reaching for, "Hey, Leon," Pulling out an oddly shaped block with a slightly translucent appearance, Sora held it out for Leon to see clearer, "This gummi block is different from the others. Do you know what it's for?"

Leon scowled as he looked over the item. He had never seen a gummi block before, and wouldn't have known what it was unless he'd been told. He glared at the block, not wanting to admit that he simply hadn't the foggiest idea what could be for.

Sensing Leon's inability to overcome his own pride, Aerith stepped in and told Sora, "Ask Cid, he should know."

"Okay, thanks," Sora shoved the gummi block back into his trouser pockets and looked to his two companions, "Well I guess we'd better be off then..."

"Wait, Sora," Leon lunged forward, getting something from his own pockets and handed it over to the Keyblade master, "Take this with you. This stone holds some mysterious power," Sora examined the Earthshine stone thoroughly, "I've been carrying it for luck. I want you to hold onto it."

Still giving the orb the once over, Sora quizzed, "How do you use it?"

Once again Leon did not have the answer, and yet again Sora found himself talking to a brick wall. Not being the brightest of sparks, Sora still managed to figure out that he wasn't going to get an answer any time soon. So waving goodbye, the gang left the waterway to go find Cid.

Once the trio were out of earshot, Aerith stepped up to Leon and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, "You know, no one would judge you for not knowing something."

Grunting Leon shrugged off Aerith's hand and began making his way back to their secret base and muttered under his breath, "...Whatever."

)()()()()()(

Charging through the halls of the Underworld, Cloud brushed past Hades henchmen Panic and Pain without even blinking. He was a man on a mission, and he and Hades had some talking to do after the stunt he'd pulled at the games. There was no way he was going to take being treated like that lying down. He'd had enough of being treated like a pawn on the god's chess board. Things were going to change, whether Hades liked it or not.

Finally he reached the antechamber where Hades was currently situated. The flamed head shot round to look at him before he sneered to the bowl of water he was talking to, "Sheesh, sorry to interrupt but seems I have some company here. So sayonara, see ya later," With a wave of his abnormally large hands smoke rose from the water, and he swiftly spun around.

Before Cloud could even utter a word Hades said, "Hey now Blondie. Don't you know it's rude to sneak up on people. Yeesh, some manners would be—"

"Enough already, I've got something to say to you," Cloud strutted up to the god and leaned his face as close as he could to show he meant business. Not that he could reach far, considering he was under average height while the god easily towered over six-foot-five.

"Whoo-whoo! You tell me like it is big boy," the Lord of the Underworld cackled while settling into his throne like chair, "So tell me what's the way-hey? The suspense is just killing me. Oh wait that's right, I'm already dead."

As the god proceeded into another fit of laughter, Cloud restrained his temper as much as he could and yelled over the obnoxious laughing, "I'm through with being your pawn Hades. The moment you unleashed that hellhound on me was the moment you broke your promise to me."

Barely containing his glee Hades chuckled, "Now what promise would that be exactly? I never made any promise to keep you safe, now did I?" He gripped the chair's armrests with his spindly fingers, "The only guarantee is that once you defeat Hercules, I'll set you free and you can kill the big, bad wolf and run into the sunset with your lover boy."

Exasperated Cloud began to pace the room like a trapped tiger in a cage, ready to pounce given the opportunity, "That may be true, but I refuse to play any more of your games Hades. I'm not your toy."

Floating across to Cloud Hades made the warrior wince in disgust as he wrapped his blue arms around him, "Aww I never wanted to make my favourite Blondie feel so used," Cloud could not help but cough and hold his breath as the god leaned right in to his face, "How about I let you walk free then, since you feel so strongly about the whole thing."

Cloud felt little relief as Hades retreated back to his chair, as he retorted, "You know I won't leave until you give me the information I need."

With a sly grin Hades settled back into his throne, "Ah that's right, you want to know where big bird has gotten to. Well maybe I know where he is, maybe I don't. I guess we'll never know since I've released you from our contract. I have no further use for you."

"Hades, I'm sure you still want Hercules out the picture. If you want I'll go take him out now if you'll just tell me where I can find Sephiroth!" he shouted angrily. He knew the god was messing with him to get a rise out of him, but when it came to the subject of Sephiroth he could not control himself.

"Whoa buddy, take it easy! If you went and killed Hercules now everyone will know I was the brains behind the attack," Hades took a moment to ponder his options then clicked his fingers, "I've got it. Why don't you hang around, enjoy the scenery for a while. In a while there'll be a tournament held in Hercules' honour, where he'll be the final challenge. That's when you will enter the tournament and put an end to Hercules once and for all!" His hair flared with orange flame before settling back down to its usual eerie hue.

Anything was better than being stuck in the Underworld with Hades most of the time. To be virtually a free man again was something Cloud was not about to turn his nose up at. There was no binding contract this time, but to keep Hades from condemning his soul for eternity, he would agree to this for now, "Alright, I will stay then. You promise that I'm a free man and once it's all over, you'll tell me the whereabouts of Sephiroth?"

"Would I lie to you?" Cloud was extremely doubtful considering Hades scheming ways, "As long as you stay and take part in the tournament, I'll tell you where the silver haired blunder is."

"Okay, I'll be training for the tournament then." Glad that he'd at the very least managed to regain his freedom he walked out of the darkened chamber, ready to step back into the light where he belonged.

)()()()()()(

A few hours had passed since Leon returned with Aerith to their house in the third district. Currently he was engaged in a conversation with Cid, who was eager to gossip about Sora and his friends. Perhaps engaged wasn't the right word, since the conversation was practically one sided as Leon let the pilot yap away, throwing in grunts of agreement where necessary. Supposedly Sora never found Cid to ask about the gummi parts, so Leon's expectations were not disappointed when the boy appeared looking for the foul mouthed blonde.

Once Sora, Donald and Goofy arrived the whole group rallied around and began discussing various things. It was only when a certain name was dropped, that Leon began to take notice from his position leaning against the wall.

"You guys ever hear of Maleficent? I hear she's in town," It was the first that Leon had heard of this, and wondered why Cid nor the others had bothered to mention this piece of information. Maybe they thought he'd hunt her down and attempt to fight her. They were probably right in their assumption, if that were the case. Leon would never forgive the sorceress for her part in him losing his home, as well as Cloud.

Oblivious to whom she was Sora asked with tilted head, "Who is she?"

"A witch, man, she's a dirty feckin' witch!" Cid winced at Aerith's warning glance, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"She's the reason this town is full of Heartless," It was true, although to his knowledge she had disappeared to ruin some other world. Apparently she had come back, for what purpose he dreaded to think, "Don't take her lightly," He warned coolly.

"She's been using the Heartless for years," It was true, her evil deeds had been going on for a long time before she came to take over their world.

The spite in his words were tangible as the brunet grumbled, "We lost our world, thanks to her."

Cid explained to a curious looking Sora, "One day, a swarm of Heartless took over our world! Luckily I got out of that mess and came here with these guys."

Donald tapped his foot on the ground whilst saying, "That's awful."

"Our ruler was a wise man named Ansem. He dedicated his life to studying the Heartless," If only he'd been around to help stop the attack on their home, Leon thought. Things could have turned out so much different if they'd only known what they were going to face.

"His report should tell us how to get rid of the Heartless," Cid grit his teeth on the pick Aerith had forced him to replace his cigarettes with. Another example of Aerith's mothering interfering, which Cid felt somewhat miffed by. Especially considering he was the oldest of the group, he was too old to have some young girl ordering him about. However he knew that no matter what he said, Aerith would in the end always get her way. He'd given up trying to resist her will a long time ago, it just made life easier.

Looking hopeful Sora's eyes bulged with excitement, "Where's this report?"

"We don't know. It got scattered when our world was destroyed," No sooner had Leon finished speaking than Sora's eyes fall to the floor crestfallen.

In an accusatory tone Cid spat, "I'm sure Maleficent's got most of the pages."

The conversation gradually stemmed away from the topic of Maleficent and the downfall of Radiant Garden. Once again Leon zoned out, retreating to the peace of his own mind. Not that there was much solace to find, when all he could think about was that he lost the most important thing to him that day, which seemed so long ago. Leon saw gold as he shut his eyes and imagined for a moment that he was embraced by the ghost of his memories.

)()()()()()(

_AN: Hey just wanted to mention that I tried to stick to the original script as much as possible, but I had to make a cut of one of Leon's line because he mentions Radiant Garden was taken over 9 years previously (which obviously would cack up my story, so I had to leave it out). That and added a lil' swear word from Cid, just one since he's a cheeky chappie. As promised, plenty of Leon in this chapter for those who missed him last time. So what's next for Cloud and Leon? Will they ever be reunited? You'll just have to read on to find out!_


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The number of Heartless was increasing day by day. It was a cause of concern for the whole group. They were a small team, and between the four of them it was impossible to protect everyone at all times. The town's people were informed that they should stay within the First District for their own safety, but there were those who carelessly wondered off and never came back. Leon had noticed that the already small population was getting gradually smaller. It wasn't his fault, they had been warned and had ignored said warnings. However he couldn't help feel a familiar pang of guilt when yet another person lost their soul to the Heartless hordes.

Days like this, he felt like because he couldn't save Cloud, he couldn't save anybody and that all this was his fault. Logically he knew he was being somewhat melodramatic, but even so could not help the horrid feelings tying knots in his gut.

"Leeooon, you aren't listening to me again!" The petite ninja stomped her foot, nudging his shoulder roughly as she huffed in displeasure.

He really needed to stop zoning out all the time, but when he got to thinking about things he lost himself within those thoughts. They were all consuming, something he could not escape.

"So, what were you saying?" He turned to Yuffie, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Ugh, not even an apology?" Leon stared stoically, "I guess not. Well anyway, as I was _saying_," she dramatically cleared her throat, "Sora got in touch, he's headed to that Coliseum place he told us about and invited us along."

"You know we can't go. We have a town to defend, remember?" Sometimes Yuffie got so excited about ideas that just weren't feasible, like now.

"Not to worry, Aerith and Cid have said they can cover things for a couple of days. Some of the towns folk have even offered to help," She bopped up and down on her heels cheerily.

"No Yuffie, even with the towns people helping, there aren't enough of us to patrol the town." That and he doubted that the locals could defend themselves even if they tried. They had little to absolutely no battle experience, certainly against the supernatural creatures.

"Cid has already prepared a Gummi ship for us, and Aerith insists we go. She says you've been _waaay_ too stressed recently."

"Hmph, I'm not stressed," he pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a throb behind his eyes. Perhaps he had been a little stressed, but weren't they all at the end of the day? They had a lot of responsibility on their shoulders after all.

"I know, you're just an uptight ass all the time, nothing new," Yuffie chuckled as Leon's steely eyes glared down at her, "We're going and that's it. The ship is ready, and Sora has even booked us into a big tournament. It would be rude to not go now."

He was tired of arguing, knowing that with these women he never could win so it was best to just give in, "Whatever."

)()()()()()(

Things had been fairly quiet at the Olympic Coliseum after his fight with Sora. Even with his freedom returned, Hades had not ceased with his pestering. The God always had some scheme going on, and Cloud didn't want to be involved in any of them. He was wiser to Hades manipulative ways and refused to get caught in his web of deceit and lies again. It was bad enough that he had to find a way to kill this Hercules guy. There had been a couple of occasions where he'd seen the man training with Phil. He seemed nice enough, a bit goofy and clumsy, but he was a good guy. He figured that being 'good' would be reason enough for Hades to try squash him, although he suspected the God had a bigger reason to go after the warrior.

Not that he cared, he just wanted to leave this place already. The hot weather didn't particularly agree with his pale complexion, so he did not get to venture outside too often. The last thing he needed was a case of sunstroke. Today though he was heading out to the main square, where he knew Sora would be arriving anytime soon.

The blonde couldn't help but feel a little excited at the thought of seeing the young one again. He wanted to see how much he'd grown, as a man as well as a warrior. It would also be nice to share good company again. It was a lonely existence he lived in this place. Sometimes he missed the company of good friends and loved ones. Every day he reminded himself that one day, hopefully soon, he would be able to be reunited with everyone. It was enough to keep him motivated to keep going each day.

By the time he reached the square he found Sora was already there, chatting away merrily with Phil. It seemed he had grown a little, his previously cherubic like cheeks had more definition to them now. At this rate he would need a new outfit, his current one looking already a little too small.

Catching his eye, Sora beamed at Cloud and waved, "Cloud, hey! Good to see you."

"Sora," he wanted to tell the boy how happy he was to see him, but didn't want to put Sora in danger. Hades had a nasty habit of spying on him, and if the God had any clue to how much he cared for Sora's wellbeing, Sora could be dragged into something all because of him. Looking upon Sora almost like a little brother, he would do anything to keep him from as much trouble as possible. Even if that meant distancing himself emotionally, at least from showing his feelings outwardly.

"You have no idea how much has went on. I've seen so many worlds that I wanna tell you about, and all the people I've met," The boy waved his arms about animatedly as he spoke, "In fact, I have a couple of friends coming here soon. I was just talking to Phil and he says it's okay for them to join the next tournament. You'd like them a lot, I think."

Cloud shook his head, laughing inwardly at Sora's boundless energy and excitement for everything. Even with the pressures that Sora had to burden, he still managed to stay positive. Maybe it was all just a front to hide his fears, but even so Cloud felt he had something to learn from the kid. He was almost envious of Sora's joyful exterior, wishing that he too could be that happy. Until he could ensure the safety of Leon, he could not even fake complete joy of any kind. That and of course he had his nemesis to deal with, there would be plenty of time for smiles and laughter once that monster was dealt with once and for all.

Before they could properly start talking, Goofy and Donald appeared beside Sora and insisted that they begin practicing for the tournament. Smiling apologetically Sora scratched the back of his head, a habit he seemed to do whenever he felt awkward about something.

Cloud raised his hand and nodded to the boy, "Later then, don't worry about it."

"Are you sure? Practice can wait a little while," Sora pouted, scuffing the dusty ground with his yellow shoes.

"No, I'll be around. You can tell me all about your adventures once you've gotten some training in," Cloud couldn't help but feel warm as the boy smiled at him, blue eyes widening with glee.

"You could join us if you like, for training I mean," Sora suggested cheerily.

"I prefer to train alone, but thanks," he added, before Sora's smile could slide off his face in disappointment, "Anyway, I don't intend on participating in the next tournament."

"You'll be cheering for me then, right?" The look of expectation was intense, as Cloud felt the pressure of Sora's charms push him to agree.

"Yeah, sure."

That was enough for Sora to leave with his companions happy with things. As much as the idea of company was pleasant, Cloud knew the boy needed as much practice as he could get. The next tournament was said to be even more difficult than the first. Even more powerful Heartless were going to be present, something that disgusted him to no end. It was one thing for Hades to mess around with people like they were pawns, but using the Heartless for his own means was a step too far.

Walking through the golden columns of the Coliseum, Cloud went back into the shade. The feel of the cool shadows was pleasant on his skin, but it made him feel even more like he was turning his back to the light. No matter what, he would not fall to the shadows again. The light was too precious to let go of.

)()()()()()(

Leon felt great relief as he stepped out into the sunlight. Never again did he want to be stuck in such a small, cramped space with Yuffie ever again. His eyebrows screwed together as he realised, that he had to go through the torment again on their return trip. Already he felt another headache coming on.

"Thank god we're outta there," Yuffie groaned, stretching out her slim limbs, "Honestly Cid could have made it a bit bigger, sheesh."

"If I ever have to do this again, I'll definitely have words with him about separate cabins," Leon smirked, barely holding back the chuckle tickling his lips.

"Heeey, are you implying that there was something wrong with _me_?" She scoffed heartily and glared up at him, "You should look yourself in the mirror sometime, you're not exactly good company either."

"Whatever," Sweat was already trickling down his forehead. He hadn't been subjected to this kind of heat for a long time. The weather was always fairly cool in Twilight Town, balmy and pleasant the way he liked it. He hoped that Yuffie didn't have any ideas about staying for any longer than was necessary. There was only so much he would put up with for the sake of Yuffie and Aerith's nagging. They were both hard to let down though, especially when Leon knew their stubbornness was boundless.

"Let's go find Sora! I'm sure he'll be around here somewhere," Yuffie bounced cheerfully around in a circle, "Maybe he can give us a tour of the place."

"Yeah, sure. Why don't we try in there?" He pointed towards the grand building ahead, tall pillars lined the outside. Any excuse to go indoors for a while.

"Good idea Squally. You know, you're not as dumb as you look sometimes," She cooed in a teasing tone as she bounded off before Leon could get her back for the jibe.

"It's Leon," he merely grumbled. There was little point in getting riled up; Yuffie was Yuffie, and no amount of protestation would change that.

The young ninja had quickly reached the doors of their destination, and had turned round to blow a raspberry in his direction. She laughed raucously before slipping through the entrance out of Leon's sight. There would be no rushing him though. As much as he was looking forward to getting out of the sun, he welcomed the silence of her departure. He realised that she and Aerith hardly ever left him alone anymore, one or both were always on his case about something or other. It was amazing that he still had a shred of patience for them. He couldn't get angry because he knew they only did so out of concern, but just sometimes a little room to breathe would be nice.

Suddenly a sharp, piercing scream filled the air. Leon's body jolted into action, as he ran toward the source. It was Yuffie for sure as it came from the tall building ahead. His pulse beat erratically, almost painfully as he reached the doors and flung them open. His legs pushed ahead ready to defend his friend, but then became as heavy as stone when he looked up to the sight before him. His breath became short and heavy, his heart now pounding so fast it felt uncomfortable in his chest. It took everything he had not to cry out. This was the last thing he'd ever expected to see.

)()()()()()(

Lounging against a wall, concealed by shadow, Cloud watched as Sora, Donald and Goofy trained in the main arena of the Coliseum. From what he had seen so far, Sora's fighting seemed to have improved a lot since their last encounter. They had been going at it for a couple of hours straight, and Sora had barely worked up a sweat. It was encouraging to see how well the boy was coming on. After fighting him the first time, Cloud realised Sora had a lot of potential despite the flaws and clear lack of fighting experience. Being out amongst the world's had been just what the kid needed. He wondered how their fight would go if they were matched up against each other once more. Cloud mused that he would have to be careful, Sora would be able to hold his own against even him.

"_I should train more often, if the kid gets better than me, what chance will I have against Sephiroth?_" He grit his teeth, not being able to even think the treacherous man's name without feeling rage trembling in his gut. It was true though, as much as he despised the thought, that if he didn't up his game he wouldn't stand a chance against his nemesis. Sephiroth was otherworldly in his power, and was a ruthless fighter and would utilise any weakness that he perceived. The last time they had fought although he had won out of sheer determination, Sephiroth had promised that he would return as his form diminished like ashes in the wind. Cloud had truly thought that the madness had sunk so deep that even in death Sephiroth was delusional. If only he'd known that the man, or whatever he was, would stay true to his word and rise once again to torment him. Hindsight as they say, is a wonderful thing.

No longer could Cloud focus on watching Sora and his companions train, his brain was too fogged up with thoughts of revenge. He would see Sora in the tournaments anyway, so he only felt a little guilty as he left for the main foyer. It's not like Sora knew of his presence anyway, since he had told the brunet that he wasn't going to watch him train.

On reaching the foyer, he decided to have a look at the tournament listings out of curiousity. Hades had bragged about his hoardes of sinister Heartless, more dangerous than ever. As he scanned down the list he felt relieved, as after seeing Sora in action, he had less concerns about the boy's welfare. There was nothing there he couldn't deal with, unless Hades pulled a fast one again. Cloud would be there to help if such an occasion occurred, but he doubted Hades would be stupid enough to pull the same stunt twice. Although, he'd been proven wrong before.

Scrunching his fair, blond eyebrows his eyes shot back to the first seed spot. At first he thought his eyes were playing tricks, the heat had to be getting to him again. But no matter how much he blinked, the same names were engraved in the stone. It couldn't just be a cruel joke, he couldn't be dreaming, he hoped it wasn't mere coincidence. His fingers trailed the names, breath hitching as emotion began to creep up from deep in his heart into his throat and up to his head.

At that moment he flicked his head round as he heard the foyer doors open and the sound of laughter floated in his head. He knew that laugh; full of so much mischief it was almost tangible. A young girl stood motionless, violet eyes wide in disbelief. The moment seemed to go on, as he took note of all her features as she did to him in return. It had been so long, she was a lot more grown up, but there was no mistaking who it was.

"Cloud?" She whispered, touching her mouth as if she didn't even recognise the name she uttered, like some foreign thing. The silence that filled the air was so heavy Cloud couldn't even try to speak back. He was astounded, overwhelmed with her presence.

If she was here, then that meant that he had read the listings correctly. That also meant that she would certainly not be here alone. Which meant that _he _was here.

All of a sudden she was on him, screaming so loudly that it was a wonder that he hadn't heard her coming. He placed a hand cautiously on her back as her cries continued. He didn't care that it hurt his ears, he would let her cry. Yuffie had always been sensitive and definitely not one to hold back her feelings. Cloud had abandoned her and the others, she could scream as much as she wanted.

Bursting through the door, his brunet knight entered clearly thinking Yuffie to be in danger. Cloud thought for a moment that the man was actually going to come kill him, but as soon as their eyes met the warriors legs stopped moving abruptly. He just stood there, staring at him like he was a ghost. For a while Cloud could not help but stare back, entrapped in the other's steely gaze.

Yuffie on hearing the other come in stopped screaming and instead sobbed, clutching the man's shirt against her face as she muffled the sounds coming from her throat.

"...Cloud," So many questions, so much pain in just the one mention of his name. Cloud felt a sudden wave of shame and guilt engulf him that he had to look away. Shutting his eyes he could not escape the thoughts that tortured his head. As much as Cloud had acted to save him, he realised that he must have put his stormy eyed man through hell. He remembered the feeling of loss that he felt when he lost him. All of a sudden he questioned whether it had been fair to put his lover through the same thing he had been through.

"Squall, I'm—"

"It's Leon," The brunet turned away and walked back to the doors, placing a hand against the thick wood, "Squall no longer exists."

Cloud's head shot up as he looked toward Leon desperately, as he watched the man walk back out into the sunlight. As the last of the light was snuffed out as the door shut, he felt his heart break. What had he done? He thought he had saved Squall, when clearly this time round, he had killed his lover. The man who had stood before him, Leon, was a shadow of the love he once knew.

"Cloud, you're crying," Yuffie stroked his face, the rims of her eyes red and puffy from crying.

Now he felt the wetness running down his face and there was nothing he could do to stop it. He never thought that he could lose Squall twice. In his heart he wished there was something he could do to make things better and make it up to the brunet, but he knew in his head that things wouldn't be that easy. Perhaps this was karma for messing up the future and twisting it to suit his own needs. Even so, Cloud felt fire through the rain as he held Yuffie closer to him. This was all Sephiroth's fault, and now more than even, Cloud knew that he had to pay no matter what the cost.

)()()()()()(

_AN: Ohhhh don't you just want to hug them both? So sad...I know it's my fault I wrote things that way, but still! Is this it for Cloud and Leon, or can they salvage something from the wreckage? How will Sora fare in the battle between Yuffie and Leon? You'll have to wait for the next chapter to find out! Also quick thanks to everyone who's reviewed/favourited/etc this story, not had time to really reply to anyone but know that everyone's input means a lot._


End file.
